When Dimensions Cleave
by Blackspiderman
Summary: Following the events of "Cleaved," Star and Marco adjust to their new world. But everything isn't smooth sailing, and things comes to a head with the return of familiar faces, the return of a dangerous foe, and shocking revelations that could change everything. Rated T for safety. Featured Songs: "What We Live for," "Breathe me," "Holding on and Letting Go"
1. Closures and Openings

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Fanfiction Summary: Following the events of the Star vs episode "Cleaved," Star and Marco adjust to their new world and begin contemplating the next step of their relationship and their lives. But not everything is smooth sailing. Something went wrong when Mewni & Earth merged, and everything comes to a head with the return of familiar faces, the return of a dangerous foe, and the unearthing of shocking revelations that could change everything for everyone...**

* * *

**Part 1: Closures and Openings**

* * *

Star and Marco kept their gleeful gazes on each other. The chaos of the newly created world surrounding them didn't once faze either of them.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Star, wh-what happened to your little hearts?" Marco pointed out the immediate elephant in the room.

"They...They went away when all the magic disappeared." Star said, somewhat sullenly. She felt her cheeks where her hearts used to be. "It feels so weird..." She moved her hands to her beating heart. "But I still have this one. And it's all yours."

Marco smiled wider, fighting back tears. Finally, he surrendered to the overwhelming love and rushed right into Star's arms, embracing her harder than he's ever hugged her. Star was quick to return it. "I was petrified...I thought-"

"We'd never see each other again?" Star sniffed back tears. "So was I. But, Marco..." She looked at him and smiled. "You were willing to leave everything behind. Your parents, your new sister, your...your Earth friends. All...for me."

"Well...so were you." They both chuckled. "I was prepared to die down there with you."

"Me too. Marco, I love you. I'd rather die with you than live without you." More smiles.

"Hey, look on the bright side. Now you don't have to worry about that. Cause we're together, here in..." Marco's voice slowly trailed off as he took a good look around at his new surroundings, taking in all of the commotion and chaos taking place. "Um...what are we calling this place now?"

Star joined him in observing their surroundings, leaving her equally dumbfounded. "I...I have no idea. I'm not even sure I know what happened."

"I mean, i-it looks like Mewni and Echo Creek kinda...kinda-"

"Cleaved?" Star interrupted. "What was it Glossaryck said? 'You can cleave something apart, or you can cleave something together.'"

"Okay, so that's _what _happened, but _how _did it happen?"

"Ya got me. Last thing I remember is us being stuck in the Realm of Magic just as it was going to the pits. We were hugging and then I think my cheek marks started glowing..."

"Wait, so did mine. I felt that."

"Yeah and then there was that portal that led to Earth and Mewni, but...I don't know, it doesn't really make any sense. Maybe Glossaryck would k-" She stopped suddenly, her eyes going wide, then sullen. "Oh wait...right..."

"...I'm sorry, Star."

She sighed. "Thanks. At least he thinks I made the right decision. But...did I?"

They separated from their hug. "What do you mean?"

"Marco, think about it. All of those magical beings that died - Hekapoo, Omnitraxus, Rhombulus, GLOSSARYCK! They're all _dead_, Marco. They're not coming back! Not to mention all of the sentient spells from my wand that perished. Heck, even the dang pony that POWERED THE WAND!" Her eyes slowly went wider and wider. "So many magical beings...dead..."

"Star!" Marco gently shook his new girlfriend to get her out of her self-destructive rant. "Listen to me, was there any other solution that would've stopped Mina and preserved everyone's lives as quickly as destroying the magic?"

Star had to give it a hard thought for a moment. She then sighed in defeat. "No. Not that I can think of."

"Then you made the right choice. You had to protect everyone, and Mina was not going to give you any time to think of a different plan. I'm sure if they _were_ still around they'd understand."

Star looked down at the ground, then at Marco. She embraced him again. "You're probably right. Thanks." She said as she pecked his cheek. "So now what? I mean, I'm literally _done_ with royalty and with being a princess. I can finally just be a normal person."

"Then...how about we just have a normal day?" Marco proposed. "We have a new world we can explore. Let's go explore it. We can have the entire day to ourselves. Scout's honor."

Star chortled. "Marco, you're not a scout. But...thanks. To tell you the truth, though, I'm kinda looking forward to just...not getting wrapped up in any of the madness around us right now. I just want to focus on you and me. Why don't we go back to your house?"

"I think my folks would be too busy showering us with hugs to give us any private time..."

"But that's okay! That's okay! I can deal with that. Honest."

"...Really?" Marco raised an understandably confused eyebrow. "But you just-"

"Marco..." She caressed his face and smiled. "I really like your parents. Like..._a lot._ They accepted me right away without so much as a question. They're fun people to be around. And they were incredibly tolerant of the magical shenanigans I got you and I into."

"Tolerant would be the understatement of the century. I can't stress enough just how laid back and chill my folks really are."

Star giggled. "I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to say, but...I've always thought of your folks as like...family." She smiled and blushed, tears forming in her eyes.

"Like a second family?"

Star hesitated. "N-N-No."

Marco's eyes went wide. "Oh...Oh I see."

Star looked down at the ground, her blush growing stronger. "Yeah, I didn't want to say anything because, well, we had so much going on and so much was in flux and I wasn't sure how long I was going to be a part of your life, but...the truth is the time I spent on Earth crashing with you and your parents...it was the happiest I had been in a while. And the longer I was on Mewni trying to fulfill my duties as princess, the more I missed them."

Marco's eyes softened as a smile crept onto his face. "Come on, I mean it's not like your parents were terrible...right? I mean ignoring the betrayal and conspiring with Mina to screw everything up-"

"Oh no no, I'm not saying that at all." Star quickly interrupted. "I love my parents, and I know they love me. It's just...it was different with your folks. It was refreshing. My mom wasn't always the most affectionate person in the world, having to be the queen and everything, so she had to be focused and stern to deal with the problems of Mewni. Your folks, though? They're just chill, cool, fun people and...I dunno, I just wish I had more of that in my life growing up. Living in royalty wasn't always that cracked up to be."

"Aww, Star..." Marco brought her in for a hug.

"I know, I know, it's silly to think like that."

"No, not at all. And I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to hear something like that. Come on, let's go see that." He took Star's hand and they begun to walk towards Marco's house, before Star stops him for a moment.

"Wait, Marco! One more thing..."

"What's that-" Before Marco could react again, Star ambushed him with a passionate kiss. When they parted, his face was bright red and he was smiling wider than ever. "Okay, I am _never_ going to get tired of that!" He exclaimed as they started for Marco's home.

* * *

They arrived shortly after at the doorstep to Marco's home, hand-in-hand. "What do you think they'll say about us?" Star asked her boyfriend.

"What? You mean will they approve of us? Star, they adore you. There's no way they wouldn't"

"I hope so."

"What are you worried about?"

"I just don't want to upset them or concern them or anything like that." Star sighed. "I...I don't care what _my_ folks think, at least not nearly as much as I care what _your_ folks think. It would hurt a lot more if I ever did something to disappoint them than-"

Before Star could finish her thought, the door swung open. The two lovebirds found themselves behind brought into a massive bear hug by Marco's father, Rafael. "THREE CHEERS FOR THE HAPPY NEW COUPLE!" He bellowed happily. "HIP HIP!" Followed by a noise maker blown by his wife & Marco's mother, Angie. Marco's newest sister, Mariposa, was snugly in her baby carrier on Angie's stomach. "HIP HIP!" Another noisemaker. "HIP HIP!" And a third noisemaker. Finally, he put them back down on the ground. Star and Marco laughed nervously.

"We didn't even say anything yet." Marco chirped.

"Word travels fast."

"Can I just say you two are the most adorable couple I've ever seen?" Angie chimed in, with Mariposa giggling. "After your father and I, that is."

Star let a sly smile creep onto her face. "We'll have to agree to disagree on that." She said flirtatiously before turning to Marco and pecking his cheek. "So, uh...nice world we have outside, huh?" Star chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, I still don't entirely know how all of that happened, but I promise you I'm gonna get to the bottom of it."

"_We'll_ get to the bottom of it." Marco interjected with a smile. "We're a team. I've got your back through all of this."

Star's smile grew even wider. "Thanks."

"Besides, maybe it would do you a bit of good to just, you know, take a break for a bit. You've been under a _lot_ of stress for a while with all of the Mewni madness. It wouldn't hurt to take some time to decompress. Besides, whatever is going on outside with the monsters and the humans...that's not your fault, and it's not your burden to carry."

Her eyes darted to the ground and she started lightly kicking the floor. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So...now what do we do?"

"Why don't I help you get settled into you room? It's not gonna be nearly as cool as your first room, since magic's gone and all..."

"Oh pffft, don't be silly. I'm sure it's wonderful." Star giggled. She took Marco's hand as they walked upstairs to the room Marco originally introduced her to when they first met. It was a plain, ordinary bedroom that didn't' have any of the cool wallpaper or designs Star's magical room always had. But for Star, that didn't matter. This felt like home to her. "I still remember the first day I set foot in this room..." She looked at Marco and grinned. "Boy we've really come a long way, haven't we?"

"We sure have." He replied as she walked over to the bed.

"You know, I never actually got to feel up this bed." She said as she calmly sat down on it. Immediately, she sank into the mattress as a satisfied, almost otherworldly smile crept onto her face. "Wow, this is...this is one comfy mattress."

"You're not just saying that, right?"

"Marco, I would not lie about something like that." She proceeded to lie down and rest her head on the pillow. "Oh my gosh, why didn't anyone tell me Earth pillows were so soft?" Star's smile grew wider as her eyelids started to fall. Marco was left in disbelief.

"You're...you're kidding, right? We have some of the roughest pillows and mattresses on the block. Of course that's what we prefer, but still, I don't know how you go from your obviously fluffed up sleeping beds and pillows to-" Marco's eyes unconsciously darted towards the bed, only to discover that not only was Star completely comfortable on a bed that Marco claimed was rough as wood, but she was actually out cold on it. Lightly snoring with a hint of drool, Star was experiencing the single deepest sleep of her life. It was only 6 in the afternoon. "Um...Star?" No answer. Marco slowly walked over to his girlfriend and gently took off her horns. "Goodnight, Star." He said sweetly, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek and pulling the blankets over off before exiting the room, turning off the lights, and slightly shutting the door.

* * *

It wasn't until very early the following morning that Star finally arose again. She suddenly sat up on the bed and took a few deeps breaths. She surveyed her surroundings and deduced that she fell asleep in the bed and was tucked in by her boyfriend. She rubbed the sand crust from her eyes and wiped the bit of leftover drool from her chin and proceeded to head into the hallway. Everyone else was still asleep. She peered into Marco's room and saw the boy fast asleep in his bed. A smile formed.

Afterwards she traversed downstairs into the kitchen. Rummaging through the drawers she found a homemade recipe for chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican breakfast dish, and decided that she was going to do something nice for her host family. Unfortunately, good intentions do not always produce good results. Growing up in royalty, she had her meals always prepared for her. As such, she was never formally taught how to cook food. Even with clear, explicit instructions listed on the paper, she struggled to do it properly. She burned the tortillas, she dropped the peppers, and she butchered the cheese. All in the span of 30 minutes.

Frustrated, she finally threw her hands in the arm and gave up - but not before turning off the stove to prevent any more burning. She took a seat at the table, defeated. Soon enough Marco came down the stairs and saw Star sitting there. "Star?" His voice got her attention fast.

"Marco." She grinned as he walked towards her and embraced her.

"Do you have any idea what time it is right now?"

"Yes, I can read clocks, Marco." She teased, getting a sarcastic laugh from him. "I'm sorry about knocking out so early yesterday, I hope I didn't trouble you or your family. And...thanks for tucking me in." She said the last line with a blush.

"Star, you were out for almost 13 hours. You obviously needed it."

"I gotta tell ya, Marco, I haven't slept that good in...maybe a year. I certainly haven't slept that long in ever."

"I always assumed that your beds in Mewni were, like, super soft and cozy."

"You know what? So did I! I've never actually slept on an Earth bed until last night. What? Did I used to sleep on the floor or something?" They both got a laugh from that.

"You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you. And you look a lot more rested now, so...why are you up so early?"

She sighed. "It was going to be a surprise, but...I was trying to make breakfast."

Marco blinked twice and stayed silent in thought for a moment. "What now?"

"I wanted to properly thank you and your parents for everything you've done for me, but I'm not really good with gifts. So I thought breakfast would be a nice place to start." She directed Marco's attention to the stove, where the wreckage of her failed efforts lay. "But it's not going as I had planned." What Star didn't realize was as she was speaking, Angie & Rafael, carrying Mariposa, traversed down the flight of stairs and overheard everything she was saying. "I really didn't want to disappoint your folks. But I have no idea what they're going to say-" Her head unconsciously turned towards where the two parents were standing, and she immediately shut up. She was met with two warm, approving smiles from them.

"Oh Star," Rafael said as he and Angie approached her and embraced her. "What a lovely gesture. But it's not necessary."

Star wiped a tear away from her eye. "Thanks guys, but really, I _want_ to do this for you, because...I love you guys."

Now it was the parents' turn to wipe tears away. "Okay, who's cutting onions in here?" Angie quipped.

"It's not that, Star. It's the last day of the month." Marco explained. "The last day of every month, we all go out early for all you can eat pancakes at Paul Bunyan's!"

"Paul Bunyan's? Wait, we didn't used to do that the last time I was here."

"It's a fairly new tradition. You can thank my wife's cravings for that one." Rafael chimed in.

"Cravings?"

Angie hugged Star. "Star, sweetheart, when you one day get pregnant & bare a child, don't be surprised when you find yourself ingesting Lima beans at 3 in the morning."

"Lima beans? Pregnant? Okay whoa! Back up. We're not _anywhere_ near that point. Marco and I aren't even married!" Star said with a chuckle. "...yet." And Marco's eyes went wide while Mariposa laughed. Rafael and Angie joined in the laughter.

"I'll tell you what, Star. If you really want to cook something, I'll teach you how to make my famous chile spaghetti tortillas later. You can be my cooking protege."

Star gasped with delight. "Do chefs get to wear capes?"

"Eh...no. _But_ they do get to wear-" Rafael rushed into the kitchen, opened a drawer, and pulled out a traditional chef's hat. "This neat chef's hat." He walked back to Star and put it on her head. She took a moment to let it sink in before letting out an ear-splitting squeal.

"I LOVE IT! I ACCEPT!"

"That's the spirit! Now let's get going. If we hurry we'll get a good parking spot before rush hour." Angie and Rafael made their way to the car. Marco grabbed Star's arm lightly before she could join them.

"Um...what did you mean by "_yet?_"

"Oh don't mind that, I was just rambling. It didn't mean anything." She held a brief laugh before stopping herself. "Unless you want it to mean something." They both started blushing.

"Uh...well...I don't..." Marco sighed, still blushing. "It sounds really nice." He said sweetly. "But I'm not ready for that kind of step. Like...at all."

"Me neither." Star sighed loudly before returning her gaze to him with a big smile. "But...I hope to be someday. You're right, it _does_ sound nice."

Marco embraced her and gave her a kiss. "When you're ready, _I'll_ be ready." With that, they parted and went out the door to join Marco's parents.

* * *

At Paul Bunyan's, Star, Marco, Angie, and Rafael (who was still carrying Mariposa) were seated at a large table, eagerly awaiting their meal. "Okay, so you like pancakes, right?" Marco asked Star, getting a nod. "And you like chocolate chips, right?" Another eager nod. "Okay, but do you like pancakes _AND_ chocolate chips? Together?"

Star ooh'd and ahh'd loudly. "You're making my mouth water, Marco." She didn't have to wait any longer to find out, as a waiter brought out their giant stake of chocolate chip pancakes and set it in the middle of the table. Everyone took a bunch, including Star. She hesitantly cut herself a small bite. "Alright, Star. Moment of truth." She took a bite of her pancake. Almost instantaneously, her face lit up to the nth degree.

"OMG THAT'S THE GREATEST FOOD IN THE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING MY MOUTH IS WATERING WITH HEAVEN AND CHOCOLATE AND FLUFFY BREAD I LOVE IT FIFTEEN OUT OF TEN!" She spat out shockingly quickly, garnering the laughter of the Diazes.

"I think she likes it." Rafael sarcastically remarked.

"Gee, what gave that away?" Marco sarcastically said back. His family's laughter drew the attention of the people in the next table, who just happened to be Tom and Janna. Tom peered over the table to see Star enjoying her breakfast a little too much.

"Star?"

The sound of Tom's voice immediately drew her attention. "Tom?" She looked his way. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Having breakfast with Janna."

Star gasped. "Awww, that's so nice."

"Don't get any ideas, we're just here as friends." Janna retorted.

"_Suuuuure_. That's what they _all_ say." Star couldn't help herself. Janna rolled her eyes. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Tom raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, sure, of course."

"Could we talk somewhere where there's nobody around?"

"Y-Yeah, of course." Both Tom and Star stood up and proceeded to leave their tables.

"Would you guys excuse me for a moment?" Star asked politely as she left the table and walked with Tom to the farthest corner of the restaurant, basically out of earshot from everyone else. The four others left behind exchanged confused glances with each other.

"Star, I hope you didn't ask me over here just to say you broke up with Marco and wanna get back together with me." Tom immediately began. "That would be just a giant bummer."

"What? No, no! It's nothing like that at all. I'm actually really happy with how things are going with Marco." Star responded with a blushing smile.

"Well, that's good then."

"Thanks. Actually, I..."

"Yes?"

"I...wanted to apologize to you."

Tom, in disbelief, blinked twice. "Apologize? I-I don't understand. What exactly are you apologizing for?"

Star looked at the ground and started shuffling her feet. She wasn't certain if she had the guts to say what she was about to say. "For being a lousy girlfriend." She blurted out, much to his surprise. "I mean I've had a bit of time since our breakup to think about things, and it kinda dawned on me that...I wasn't that good to you. There's a lot of things I did when we were together that I wish I had done different. I wasn't as attentive to you as I should've been - you went through so much effort to change and to be a better person and I didn't really give you the respect that it justified. I didn't tell you about my kiss with Marco in the photo booth but I should have. You shouldn't have had to learn it from him. I pushed you to the side during that monster party where all I could think about was trying to make peace with the Mewmans and the monsters. Plus the whole time I was with you, my feelings for Marco were constantly changing and bouncing, and it kept me in a loop, and I wasn't straight with you about it. The truth is I had wanted to break it off with you sooner, but you did so much to change yourself and be better that I knew I would've felt like scum if I did that. So I stayed. I didn't mean to string you along the way I did, and I know I probably hurt you a lot along the way. I'm sorry, Tom."

Though Tom was looking right at Star, he had partially zoned out, completely floored at what he was hearing. "I...I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. I wasn't prepared for something like this. But look, it wasn't...it's not like you were doing it to be mean, you had _a lot_ on your plate, and I didn't always give that important stuff consideration-"

"Tom." Star interrupted, shaking her head. "I appreciate what you're trying to do but please don't make excuses for me. All of that might be true, but it doesn't excuse any of it. I still could've handled things a lot better than I did. Honestly I'm just amazed you put up with me for so long."

"Oh come on, you make it sound like you're an annoyance, and you're the farthest thing from that. Even with all of your charming and adorable quirks."

Star giggled. "It's funny. The first time we broke up it's because your anger issues pushed me away and I was convinced you weren't going to change. This time, you were the one that behaved and I was the one that just kinda meandered and derped around. I guess I still have some growing to do."

"Well, maybe I'm just not the right person to help you grow the way you need to." Tom placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And maybe you're not the right person to help me. But...that doesn't mean that our relationship was a bust."

She smiled at him. "That's true. And I'm glad we _did _get back together. It was nice while it lasted. And you're going to make some gal or dude very happy one day."

"...gal or dude?"

"What? I don't judge." They shared a laugh with each other. "You've grown a lot, Tom. I know this is cheesy, but...I'm very proud of you. You deserve someone that'll light up your world the way Marco lights up mine. You deserve a lot better than me."

Tom shook his head lightly. "Even if that is true, I don't know how I can do better than Star Butterfly." His statement got a blushing laugh from Star.

"Still, I feel pretty lousy about it all. I don't regret us breaking up, because I think you're right. We both need someone we can call a "best friend" to date. I just wish I had done things better with you. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Tom gave it a serious thought for a brief moment. "Well, if you really insist on doing this, there _is_ one thing..."

"Name it." Star said without a hint of hesitation. Tom chuckled before getting serious again.

"Promise me one thing."

"Shoot."

"Promise me you won't screw things up with Marco." Tom's request took Star a back quite a bit. "Marco is awesome." That statement drew a wide smile and some tears from Star. "I don't know how much better it gets after Marco. You're lucky to have someone as awesome and loyal as him in your life, and I'd really hate to see things go bad between you two."

Star wiped some tears away and then saluted Tom. "I'll do my best."

Tom smiled before sticking his hand out for her to shake. "Friends?"

But Star bypassed the handshake and went right for a hug, which Tom easily reciprocated. "And Tom?"

"Yeah?"

She pulled slightly away from the hug to face him. "Take care of yourself. Make yourself happy. You deserve it." She pecked him lightly on the cheek before breaking off the hug and walking away.

"So do you, Star. So do you."

Star returned to her table and started to eat some more of her pancake. "Everything okay, Star?" Marco asked. She nodded in return and chewed some bites before talking.

"Yeah, everything's alright. I just had a few things to get off my chest with Tom." She kept talking as Tom walked past their table and returned to his.

"And you two are...?"

"We're okay. Honest, Marco. We're fine." She kissed him gently on the cheek and then returned to eating her pancake. Marco shrugged and followed suit, relieved to see his girlfriend happy.

**End of Part 1**

**So it seems I'm not nearly the only one with a post-finale idea. Here's hoping I can do enough to distinct mine from the rest.**

**Anyway I've been in a massive writer's block for seemingly years now and it's about time I try to break out of it. Here's hoping this does it. It's a solid start to what I consider to be my most ambition idea in years. Things will start to make more sense as we go along and I'll do my best to honor and respect the Star vs lore.**


	2. The Unknown

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 2: The Unknown**

**Original Postdate: August 3, 2019.**

* * *

Later that day, Star and Marco decided to catch up with their other friends - Jackie (and her new girlfriend Chloe), Janna, Alfonzo, Ferguson, even Tom decided to rejoin them - at the place formerly known as Britta's tacos. The surrounding area was still somewhat chaotic though significantly quieter than the day prior. "You know, if you had told me that within a year of knowing you guys that I'd be living in a world where monster creatures and people are inhabiting the same living space...I'd probably believe you." Janna said, taking a bit into her taco.

"How _is_ that going, by the way?" Star questioned. "I kinda took a day to not think about any of that stuff and I feel like I'm way behind."

"It's actually going surprisingly well. Buff Frog took on a sort-of leadership role in helping the Mewmans & monsters get themselves acquainted with the Earth humans."

* * *

Somewhere in a far away park, Buff Frog, his children, Moon, River, and a host of other Mewmans & humans were gathered on a picnic blanket sat near a big tree and socializing, with Buff Frog telling jokes.

"Then I said to the cashier, "_That's no toy. That's my daughter!_" And his jokes were apparently a hit with the humans, getting vicious laughs out of them every time.

* * *

"I gotta be honest, I was kind of expecting a lot more chaos and mayhem." Janna said. "But then again I guess we've had more than enough of that for a whi..." She suddenly turned to Tom. "Wait did you say _Buff Frog?_ As in muscles?"

"...Yes, why?"

"I called him _Butt Frog_. As in the thing you sit on. To his face. He didn't correct me!" She yelled. Tom could only shrug. The others laughed.

"So Marco, Star, what are you guys gonna do now that we're in this...mish-mash of a world?" Jackie asked the two lovebirds.

"To be honest, I don't know. This is the first time I'm done with royal duties, so...I'm not sure." Star admitted before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. "Maybe my list will help me get my head straight."

"List?"

"Oh yeah, after Toffee was defeated and Marco went back to Earth and I stayed on Mewni, I started myself a list of things I totally wanted to do if I ever got to go back. Now that I'm here, I guess it's as good a time as any to break this baby out."

"Well, spill it, girl. What's on it?" Janna asked eagerly.

"Let's see...Number One: stilted dance number while wearing ridiculous outfits."

"Stilted...you mean _Square Dancing?_" Jackie asked.

"Is that what you guys call that? That stuff doesn't look like any dancing I know."

"Then you obviously haven't seen the _Can-Can_." Chloe chimed in. "It's a French dance."

"Riiight. Okay, Number Two:" Star continued. "Jump out of a plane and fall to the ground and don't get hurt."

"...So, _Skydiving._" Marco said.

"You guys have weird names for these activities."

"Okay I've actually _been_ skydiving and it's super fun." Janna interrupted. "Once you get past the nerves it's such an adrenaline rush. All you gotta do when you get to the ledge is squat, pray, you leap, then you scream "ahhhhhhhh" and then finally you land on the ground _touchdown_. Easy peasy lemon squeezy."

Jackie gave what Janna said a solid minute of thought before speaking. "Janna...that spells _SPLAT_."

Janna gave that note a quick thought before going wide-eyed. "oh shoot, you're right. No wonder I've been getting cocked heads and raised eyebrows at every seminar."

Marco slowly moved the list from Star to get her attention. "What else is on this list?" He started scanning the page. "Number Three: Start a gouraj-oh garage band."

"Yeah ever since the Oskar thing I kinda thought it would be cool to be in my very own band. You know, just rocking out and letting loose. I feel like I need more stuff like that in my life now."

"Do you know how to play any instruments?"

"Well...ye-no. Not really. There's a bunch I've always wanted to learn - the harmonica, the maracas, the piano, the guitar, the jug-"

"The jug?"

"What? It's an instrument. Basically I want to learn all of them but I've never had the time to even start on one."

"I could teach you the guitar if you want." Janna proposed. "I play a killer electric."

"Ooh, so do I. I taught myself in France when I met Chloe. And she plays a mean keyboard."

"I've got an awesome drum set!" Tom called out.

"Drums?" Marco questioned. "I never would've thought that with you to be honest."

"What do you mean? Drums are all about smashing the things to make noise. I like to smash things."

Marco chuckled and elbowed Star. "What? Do you think drums are adorable or something?" He kept chuckling. "Right?"

"What?" Star asked.

"_The piggoats."_ He whispered to her.

"Ohhhhhh, I see where you're going." She smiled slyly briefly, but then frowned. "Marco that was a dumb joke."

He sighed. "Yeah, I thought it was worth a shot." The entire time, Tom was just shaking his head in confusion. "So by process of elimination, that would make Star and I...the lead singers."

"Could we trade with one of you guys?" Star asked quickly.

"Not with me." Tom instantly objected. "I might be a smooth speaker, but...you don't want to be in the same town as my wretched singing voice. Don't get me wrong, I _love_ to sing, but my voice is not cut out for that."

"Ditto." Added Janna. "Unless it's a rap song. Then I'm all in."

"...What's rap?"

"Yeah I'm with the group on this one." Jackie interjected. "You and Marco would easily be the best singers.

"What about Chloe?"

"I'll keep my keyboard, thank you." She said firmly.

"So...like, did we just form a band?" Marco asked, confused but quietly optimistic.

"I dunno. Like are we doing this professional or like do we just wanna derp around?" Tom asked.

"Tom, some of the most memorable and successful bands in recent memory have come as a result of just them derping around. Case in point, _Maroon 5._"

"Is that the band with the lead singer who has a voice that sounds like a dog whistle?"

"_That's_ the one!"

Tom shuddered. "That's a depressing thought."

"Why don't we all grab our stuff and head to the park? Should be open enough for us to just jam out without anyone bothering us." Jackie suggested. "I don't really feel like cooping us up in a stuffy garage."

Her suggestion was met with reserved but positive feedback. So they all stood up and went their separate ways temporarily to grab the equipment they needed.

* * *

Shortly after they reconvened at what was formerly known as the Echo Creek Central Park. The park was a little busy, but not overly crowded. The group was successful in finding a big open space in the middle of the park to converge in. They brought with them Chloe's electric keyboard, Tom's drum set, Jackie and Janna's electric guitars, and six microphone headsets that were in Jackie's possessions. Though Star and Marco were the defacto lead singers, the others didn't want to be left out of the silliness.

"Okay, so...now what do we do?" Marco asked as they all set up their equipment. "Do we just, like, start going on what?"

"What song are we even going to perform?" Chloe asked.

"I've got one I've been working on." Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper for the group to study. They quickly scanned through the paper and came away impressed.

"Tom, you wrote this yourself?" Star asked. "I'm impressed. I had no idea."

"What? It's a fairly new hobby. You don't know everything about me."

"Okay but what about the music. You know, the instruments."

"Oh I have that worked out too." Tom pulled out even more paper and handed some to everyone. "I've kinda been working on this one for a while."

Star studied the papers and started lightly blushing. "...I can tell."

"So how does this start?" Marco said, pulling attention back to their objective. "...I think the keyboard starts it off."

"Oui." Chloe responded. "I'm all set. Whenever you're all ready."

Everyone else picked up their instruments while Star & Marco turned their microphones on. "Okay, I guess I'm ready. How about you, Star?"

"I just hope I don't make a total fool of myself."

"Chill, Star, it's gonna be fine." Jackie chimed in. "Just let yourself get lost in the music. Everything will fall into place."

Star smiled at Jackie. Then she looked at Marco and smiled even wider. She and Marco turned to Chloe and nodded quietly. Chloe started to play her keyboard, and all of them found themselves slowly getting lost in the beat. Marco led them off.

_**I drive a beat-up car, a caravan, the color blue**_  
_**Reminds me of your eyes and all the places we've been to**_  
_**We're tethered to the leather, searching for a better view**_

Now Star started getting into the singing.

_**It's interstellar when it's me and you  
We're taking off! Whoo-oo-oo!**_  
_**We're taking off! Whoo-oo-oo!****  
**_

Not just Star and Marco, but the rest of them also started getting into the singing, trading verses and joining the chorus. Star and Marco also started dancing to the beat and having a blast.

**_This is what I live for_**  
**_Baby, you're my open ro-ooo-ooooad!_**  
**_You can take me anywhere the wind blows_**  
**_Right into the great unkno-ooo-oooown!_**  
**_We can throw our hands up out the window_**  
_**This is what we live for!**_

The group was so into their performance that they didn't realize it was starting to draw a bit of a crowd. And not just from the people that were already in the park.

**_We look up at the stars, a perfect night to dream with you_**  
**_Got 90s retro on the radio, our favorite tune_**  
**_I put the pedal to the metal just to laugh with you_**  
**_It's interstellar when it's just us two_**

_**We're taking off! Whoo-oo-oo!**_  
_**We're taking off! Whoo-oo-oo!**_

**_This is what I live for_**  
**_Baby, you're my open ro-ooo-ooooad!_**  
**_You can take me anywhere the wind blows_**  
**_Right into the great unkno-ooo-oooown!_**  
**_We can throw our hands up out the window_**  
_**This is what we live for!**_

_**(****Oh ohhh Ohhh) this is what we live for**_  
_**(**__**Oh ohhh Ohhh) this is what we live for**_

As the number continued, Star and Marco found themselves getting more emotional, and as a result, found themselves pulling closer to each other. Their gaze in each other's eyes only further lifted their spirits, while also increasing tear output.

_**This is what we live for**_  
_**This is what we live for**_  
_**This is what we live for  
**_  
_**This is what we live for**_  
_**This is what we live for**_  
_**This is what we live for**_

Eventually Star and Marco pulled each other in for a long and passionate kiss. The tears came strolling down their eyes now.

_**We're taking off! Whoo-oo-oo!**_  
_**We're taking off! Whoo-oo-oo!**_

Star and Marco finally parted from their kiss, and they all resumed dancing and singing as the song reached its end.

**_This is what I live for_**  
**_Baby, you're my open ro-ooo-ooooad!_**  
**_You can take me anywhere the wind blows_**  
**_Right into the great unkno-ooo-oooown!_**  
**_We can throw our hands up out the window_**  
_**This is what we live for!**_

_**(****Oh ohhh Ohhh) this is what we live for**_  
_**(**__**Oh ohhh Ohhh) this is what we live for  
**__**(****Oh ohhh Ohhh) this is what we live for  
**__**(**__**Oh ohhh Ohhh) this is what we live for**_

As the music finally stopped, the sound of roaring applause dominated everything else. The kids all looked around and discovered that at least a couple hundred people were gathered around where they were set up and applauding their hearts out for them. Among the recognizable faces in the group were Star's parents, Moon and River, Eclipsa & Globgor (with Meteora), Angie & Rafael (with Mariposa), Buff Frog & his children, Ludo and Dennis, Alfonso & Ferguson, Miss Skullnick, Marco's Sensei, and finally Oskar.

"And you guys said you couldn't sing." Jackie said slyly, causing both Marco and Star to blush. The two turned their attention back to the ground and started waving.

"Uh, t-thank you! Thank you, everyone." Star said shyly. "Don't get too excited though, we're probably just a one-man band-"

"_One hit wonder._" Marco whispered.

"One hit wonder! Oh, so _that's_ what that means." The group all converged closely to Star and Marco.

"Okay we're _totally_ doing this again." Tom said quickly, which everyone agreed with. "We gotta start thinking up band names-"

As Tom continued, Star kept looking around the park and soaking in the applause. But her high was quickly doused when she unconsciously settled on one face in the crowd and instantly recognized it. Or at least, thought she did. The person she settled on whose appearance made her instantly drop her jaw bared an eerie resemblance to Queen Solaria, but not an exact resemblance. This woman had long, flowing red hair, no cheek marks, and was wearing regular plain clothes that wouldn't distinct her from any other average face in the crowd. She was applauding the group with a warm smile on her face, and she didn't notice that Star had set her sights on her.

Eventually, though, the woman did pick up on this, locking eyes briefly with Star. She responded by turning around and walking away rather awkwardly, furthering growing Star's suspicions.

"Star? STAR!" Marco yelped to get her attention. "Are you alright?"

"Uh...y-yeah, totally. I'm totally fine. That was a lot of fun." She recovered her composure quickly and was able to mask her confusion from Marco. "And Diaz, I didn't know you could sing like that."

"Me? If only you could've heard yourself. And you said _you're_ a terrible singer? With _that_ voice?"

Star began blushing again. "Aww, thank you Marco." she kissed him lightly before gasping. "Oh, I gotta get going!"

"Go where?"

"To be your dad's cooking protege, of course." She turned to the others. "There's gonna be a huge dinner at the Butterfly castle later tonight. Marco's Dad and I are gonna be cooking it! I'm finally going to learn what a kitchen is!"

Janna cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "You don't know how to cook?"

"Janna." Star wasn't amused by her question. "I was royalty. Had personal chefs. Never had to learn. But like now I totally want to! It's exciting! And I'm learning from the coolest Dad in the world!"

"...But I thought your dad was also royalty-"

"She means _my_ dad, Janna." Marco flatly interrupted.

"What would be on the menu?" Chloe asked.

"It's my dad's signature dish: Chile spaghetti tortillas."

"That sounds totally outrageous." Jackie commented. "I'm in."

"I've always wanted to try a tortilla." Chloe said.

"Count me in." Janna added.

"Same!" Tom shouted, which drew annoyance from Janna.

"Dude, just get a Twitter already."

"If you're going to keep saying that to me, can you at least explain to me what a Twitter is? Because it sounds like something you barbecue."

Star snickered. "Are you _sure_ you guys aren't a thing yet?" This also drew laughter from Marco. Tom bit his tongue while Janna shook her head. "Well, I better get going! See you guys tonight!" Star ran off to meet with Rafael as they headed to where the Butterfly castle once rested, temporarily putting the thought of a potential Queen Solaria sighting into the back of her mind.

* * *

Later that afternoon, everyone gathered at the former Butterfly castle for the hyped-up dinner. Star's family, her Mewni friends, her Earth friends, all of them gathered at the castle and were shown to the long table that could seat as many as 50 guests. Meanwhile, Star and Rafael, both wearing chef's hats, were in the Butterfly kitchen whipping up the dinner for everyone. Rafael pulled from the oven a dish full of tortillas with spaghetti & chili baked into them, the 10th such dish he's pulled out, and set it on the counter to cool off. "And done!" Rafael announced. "Enough Chile spaghetti tortillas for everyone!"

Star applauded loudly while jumping up and down. "Huzzah!" Rafael tore a tiny piece off one of the tortillas for Star to try. "Oh my gosh, I can totally taste the spaghetti in the bread!" She shouted happily.

"And this is just _one_ of the many Mexican dishes that I know how to whip up."

She gasped in delight. "I want to know all of your secrets." She whispered just loud enough for him to hear. Rafael bellowed and picked her up in a bear hug.

"I couldn't have done it without my little protege!" He told her as he hugged her tighter.

"Aww thanks Mr. Diaz. But I really didn't do that much."

"Nonsense. Every little bit helps in a busy kitchen. And now you finally have your foot through the door, right?" Star excitedly nodded. "Okay, help me carry these trays out. And be careful. We don't want to drop any."

Star carefully grabbed two of the dishes and walked slowly towards the door following Rafael's lead. As they exited the kitchen they trudged very slowly to the table, carefully placing the plates in different places among the table so that they were evenly spaced. They repeated this process with the rest of the trays of tortillas until they were all set on the table. Finally Star backed away from the table very calmly before shouting "DINNER IS SERVED!" like she was hopped up on sugar. The people around the table, including her parents, chuckled politely and applauded. Star approached her folks, still grinning ear-to-ear. "Soooooo what do you think?"

"Well we haven't even tried the food yet, dear." Moon tried to rationalize.

"Oh not the food. I'm talking about my nifty little hat." She pointed to her chef's hat. Moon and River both chuckled.

"It looks lovely on you, dear."

Star's eyes lit up again. She turned to Marco, who was sitting two seats down from Moon. There was an empty seat between them saved for Star. "Marco?"

"I think it looks really cute on you." He said without hesitation. "Though I gotta admit I think I prefer the horns."

Star blushed a little as she took her seat. "Why thank you. I knew you'd warm up to them."

While she and Marco played cutesy, River started eating one of the tortillas. His eyes lit up with fireworks. "I say, what do you call these again?"

"They're Chile Spaghetti Tortillas. They're a family recipe. Do you like it?"

"Like it? It's _TREMENDOUS!"_ He announced as he dug in for more.

"Well, I _did_ have a really good teacher." Star said as Rafael came walking into the picture with a smile. Star took off her hat and tried to give it back to him. "Thanks for letting me be your protege."

"Keep the hat." He said proudly. "It'll come in handy the next time I need my protege."

She gasped in excitement and squealed while Rafael took the empty seat next to Marco and between his wife Angie, who was still holding baby Mariposa. Tom was sitting across from Star, in between Jackie and Janna. The baby was giggling at Star's excitement. "Aww, don't worry, Mariposa. Someday you'll be old enough to be your Dad's protege too." Mariposa continued giggling and babbling which made Star gush over her. "By the way..." She turned to Angie. "I forgot to ask, but...why did you name her _Mariposa?"_

"Oh, that's easy. _Mariposa_, it's Spanish...for _Butterfly._"

Star's jaw dropped at this revelation. She looked at Mariposa, who was still giggling. Then at Marco. Then at his parents. And suddenly she felt her smile go from ear to ear and tears forming in her eyes. Moon and River exchanged proud looks with each other as Star had to fight back the urge to sob. "Star?" Marco asked her, clearly concerned. "Are those tears of joy?" She nodded several times.

"Whose idea was it?" She managed to ask through the hyperventilating that came with the tears.

"As a matter of fact," Angie began, looking at her son proudly. "It was Marco's."

She gasped yet again and again had to fight back more tears. "Marcoooooo!" She said through all of it. "You named your baby sister...after me...okay, well, my family, but still!"

Marco looked away and smiled. "It was nothing." Star pecked him on the cheek.

"Thank you, my little Mulberry."

Marco's head turned right back to Star and an eyebrow went up. "Mulberry?"

"You know, Mulberry. _Mole_." She pointed to a spot on her face to represent where Marco's mole is.

"Ohhhhh I get it. I think."

"It's a pet name. Or at least it's supposed to be. Do you like it?"

"I don't know if that really _fits_ me. I mean it's clever wordplay and all, but...wait why the sudden interest in pet names?"

"Well it's just something I always wanted to do, and Tom was never that big into them, so I thought, you know, 'what the heck?"

"Aww, that's sweet. But I don't think I'm particularly good with pet names. I named one of the laser puppies "Marco Five."

Star stared blankly at Marco for the longest time. "I don't get it."

"Never mind. Did you have a name in mind for me to call you?"

"Actually, yeah, I did. I was hoping Tom would use it but he never did, and he never told me why. But that's in the past. It's a new day and I have a name I wanna use."

"Alright then. Run it by me."

"Okay!" Star rubbed her hands together in anticipation while Marco took a bite out of his spaghetti tortilla. "Call me...Miss _Thunder Thighs!"_

Her excited exclamation caused Marco to nearly choke on his tortilla. Once he got himself to actually swallow it, he shot a confused at Star. "Um...are you sure that's what you want?"

"Totally! I mean it sounds like a neat pet name, right? Wholly my own."

"Sounds like? Wait, Star...do you not know what that phrase means?"

Tom halted his own enjoyment of the tortillas to look up at Star with a look that combined both clear annoyance and utter befuddlement.

"You mean there's an actual meaning to that phrase? It's not just two words I made up?" Rafael, in an attempt to defuse the tension before it escalated, walked over to Star and whispered quietly into her ear. What he said left her bug-eyed and completely dumbfounded. And also blushing madly in embarrassment. "Ohhhhh...oops."

Tom dropped his fork unconsciously. He put up a minimal effort to fight back the urge to laugh. He gave up fairly quickly and began guffawing like a lunatic. Moon and River weren't very amused by this outburst, but their concern was quelled when they saw Marco struggling to hold back the laughter too. And he eventually gave up as well. Pretty soon most of the table started laughing too, even Star's parents. Eventually Star was the only one left not laughing, and although at first it looked like she was going to cry, it quickly turned into tears of hysterical laughter. It was a sight to behold: an entire dining room of Mewmans and monsters and humans laughing hysterically at something seemingly trivial.

The laughter slowly died down, leaving only Marco and Star the last two laughing. "Oh my gosh, I feel so silly." Star remarked. Her smile though gave way to a modest frown. "Hey Marco?"

"Yeah?"

"Now that I actually know what that means...would it be weird if I still sorta wanted you to say it?" Star spat that out quickly and then looked away in a bit of embarrassment. Marco was left to pick up the conversation.

"I...don't know. Would...would it be weird if I sorta wanted to say it?" Now it was his turn to shy away in embarrassment, which was interrupted by a cat-call by Janna.

"Diaz, you _dog_, you." She didn't hesitate to say.

"Janna!" Star's scolding of her friend was quickly put on hold, however. There was a knock at the door. "Oh thank goodness, a distraction!" Star said as she rushed to the door. "Coming!" Star arrived at the front door and slowly opened it. Standing there was the very woman that Star thought she imagined at the park earlier in the day, the one that bared a striking resemblance to Queen Solaria, but without her lightning bolt cheek marks.

"Star Butterfly..." She said calmly with a hint of a smile. "You look even younger up close."

Star gasped and went bug-eyed. "Q-Queen Solaria." She blurted out. In a sign of respect, Star knelled to her and remained knelled for a good minute before rising again and appearing to be at a loss for words. "I...don't understand. How? Why?"

"Star?" Eclipsa called out not too far behind Star. She approached the door and realized someone was standing there. She also realized _who_ was standing there. "...Mother?"

Upon laying eyes on Eclipsa, Solaria smiled warmly.

**End of Part 2.**

**I've missed being able to enjoy writing the stories I want to write. I intend to see this one through no matter what.**

**A/N: The song they played was "What We Live For" by American Authors.**

**Please read & review. Reviews would be _GREATLY_ appreciated! ^_^**


	3. Unfortunate Implications

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 3: Unfortunate Implications**

**Original Postdate: August 5, 2019**

* * *

Meanwhile, out by the very park that Star, Marco, and their friends were just at, sat a girl. A former proud warrior now disgraced and forced into seclusion. This was the formerly great Mina Loveberry, sporting a long, black leather trench coat covering a tattered light green dress with a cat picture on the front, her pigtails tucked away underneath a black hat, her white gloves sliced and diced, and her bunny earrings long since abandoned. Having been stripped of her Solarian powers and forced into retreat, she successfully found a disguise deemed good enough to conceal her identity so she could return to public life. In her coat & hat, nobody recognized her.

With this outfit, and by keeping a low profile, Mina could theoretically live a normal, peaceful life.

But Mina didn't want normal. She didn't want peace. She craved exactly two things: the satisfaction of a mission accomplished, and revenge.

As she scanned the outskirts of the park, she took notice of all the groups consisting of Earth humans, Mewni Mewmans, and monsters. All of these groups, while clearly not on a "Kumbaya" level of harmony, acted on peaceful and calm terms with each other, socializing with each other, sharing picnic food, playing park games, etc. And yet this behavior still disgusted Mina. Any display of affection, friendship, or even just respect towards monsters was, in her eyes, a crime punishable by brute force or worse.

She stood up in her spot and slowly began to walk away, heading for the exit. A nearby group of humans and monsters attempted to flag her down. "HI! Wanna play Frisbee?" But she ignored them all the same and continued onward. She took the time to examine her new surrounds. It didn't take her long to figure out that the contents of Mewni's world and Earth's world had merged into one mish-mash of a new world. What she wanted to know was how it happened, and why. She believed that finding the answers to those questions would get her closer to a position where she could reemerge as a threat to all monster kind.

Her walk lasted for so long that she almost missed passing by the Butterfly castle. She took a long look at the building, followed by a scowl and a growl. The temptation to march up to the door and confront whoever was in the castle at the moment was great, but ultimately she decided not to. She turned around and continued walking wherever.

Her ventures inadvertently took her to the former Castle Avarius, now the home of Ludo and his brother Dennis. The castle's reconstruction was nearly finished, and Ludo & Dennis were busy playing basketball on their new court and having a blast. But Mina slowly trudging past their castle made Dennis stop mid-play and stare, with Ludo following after. "Hey who's that?" Dennis asked, but Ludo stepped in front of him and slowly started pushing him back.

"I don't know." He said sternly. "But something about her feels very familiar. And infuriating." They resumed their game without a second thought. Their noise drew Mina's attention. Their complete disregard of her and her former status only further fueled her rage. Though everyone continued to be irritated and annoyed by the mere thought of Mina Loveberry, nobody feared Mina Loveberry any longer. It was a thought that infuriated her to her very core. She concentrated her rage towards her walk and passed by the castle without incident.

Her walk eventually took her to the place formerly known as Britta's Tacos. She approached the counter and was met with Sensei Brantley. "Welcome to Britta's Tacos. Love your coat. Can I take your order?"

Mina raised and eyebrow and said nothing.

"Ah, I get it. You're new to these parts and you don't know what a taco is. I get it." He responded. "Tell ya what." He reached towards a counter that was out of the sight of the window and pulled out a plate with a taco on it. "First one's on the house."

She raised her eyebrow yet again and hesitantly took the taco plate. She quietly and awkwardly walked away and found herself a table. Unconsciously she took a bite of the taco, and instantly she was blown away by the mountain of flavor she was experiencing. In a moment of weakness, she consumed the rest of the taco in literally a single bite. She then raced back up to the counter, pulling out of her coat pocket all of the Earth money she had managed to scrounge up to that point, and gave it to Sensei. "I'll take ten." She whispered loudly in an attempt to disguise her voice.

The order was accepted and soon enough Mina found herself enjoying an exotic (to her at least) food for the first time in seemingly forever. She quickly consumed five of her ten tacos, and she showed no intentions of stopping for anything. That is until she overheard some conversation from the back of the stand between Sensei and Oskar.

"_I don't know where this liquid gold is coming from."_

_"Just don't let it contaminate the food! I can't afford another attorney."_

Recognizing the phrase "liquid gold," Mina halted her meal and looked towards the direction of the conversation. She saw Sensei and Oskar emerging from behind the stand and walking away from it for a moment. She stood up and slowly walked towards the stand and wrapped herself behind it, noticing a door that was unlocked. She looked inside and found another door leading into the supply closet. Upon opening that door, she noticed a hatch on the floor and proceeded to climb down it, leading her into the dungeon where they age their meat. Everything was exactly as it was before the cleaving, right down to the Glossaryck hieroglyphics.

She approached the hieroglyphics wall slowly and in the process kicked her foot on the wall of the well in front of her. The bottom of her eye caught some liquid gold substance spilling out of the well after the kick. She knelled down and removed the cover of the well and discovered that the entire thing was filled to the brim with this liquid gold. She found herself almost mesmerized by the sight of it, recognizing it to an extent but not fully putting the pieces together...

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Butterfly castle, everyone minus Star and Eclipsa was still in the dining room njoying their meal, having seemingly forgotten that Star had excused herself to answer the door and that Eclipsa had followed her. But that was about to change, as Star crept slowly back into the room with Eclipsa. "Mom?" Her tone drew everyone's attention immediately. "...we have a visitor."

"...a visitor?" Moon repeated. Star and Eclipsa stepped aside while Solaria slowly and hesitantly walked into the view. There was a loud, booming gasping noise from everyone in the room, including Moon. This was followed by a moment of complete silence followed again by quiet murmuring from people in the group. Moon and River both stood up slowly from their seats in body language that screamed 'uncertainty.' "...Queen Solaria. Is that you?"

River was left entirely stunned "...m-m-m-mother-" was all he could muster before fainting from the shock. Everyone else remained dead silent and there was no noise of any kind until a faint kicking noise came from one of Solaria's pockets. She reached into it to pull out the one and only Glossaryck. He coughed a few times before speaking.

"Do you ever dust your pockets?" He exclaimed, rather annoyed. The sight of Glossaryck made Star's jaw drop.

"Glossaryck?"

The magical being turned his head to face the dumbfounded girl. "Hiya, kid."

Even more silence for what seemed like the longest time until Marco finally broke it. "WHAT IS HAPPENING!?" He shouted, a sentiment that, volume aside, everyone else agreed with.

"We...owe you an explanation."

Glossaryck and Solaria led everyone from the dining hall to the throne room. In the throne room, in addition to the thrones for the former king & queen were now several large sofas scattered around the center of the room. Everyone took a seat on one of those sofas, including Solaria, with Glossaryck floating next to her. The awkward silence continued for some time until Star finally decided to get the ball rolling.

"Sooooo...I guess since _you're_ here, Glossaryck, and...so are you, Queen Solaria, that means...I failed. I didn't destroy the magic after all." She said rather sullenly.

"It's not that simple, kid." He said quietly. "Technically, yes, you _did_ fail, but through no fault of your own. You did everything right. Returning Earth to its original state should have meant the end of the era of magic. Something has gone wrong."

"I thought that the Whispering Spell would do the trick. It worked a lot faster than whatever Toffee did when he tried to destroy-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on, Star, stop." Marco interrupted quickly. "Star, stop." He turned to Glossaryck. "_Returning Earth to its original state?_"

Upon hearing Marco repeat his words to him, Glossaryck realized he made an oopsy. And it didn't take long at all for Star and everyone else in the room to catch on to what was said. Star's eyes went way wide as he turned her head to her former mentor. "Glossaryck?"

Glossaryck briefly contemplated attempting to cover for himself, but relented. With a loud sigh, he snapped his fingers and had a large book appear on the ground. It looked nothing like the Book of Spells. "I intended to take this to my grave. But under the circumstances, it appears that's not possible."

"Glossaryck, will you just spit it out already?" Moon demanded, clearly upset by this development.

"I'm getting to that, your maje-er, I mean...Mrs. Butterfly. I am not used to that yet." He proceeded to open the book, revealing a black and white photo of the cleaved Earth/Mewni, though this picture was supposedly from a far different time. "The preconception that Earth and Mewni were always separate entities is...not true." This revelation absolutely startled everyone in the room.

"What are you even talking about?" Moon protested. "Of course they were!"

"No, Moon. They were not. You and everyone else in the hierarchy only believed such because _I_ made sure you did." Glossaryck turned to Solaria. "The truth is...complicated. Solaria, would you care to elaborate?"

Solaria took a deep breath and turned to everyone to begin telling her story.

* * *

_[Flashback]_

_A random, ordinary night on Mewni-Earth. A typical, mundane night of late night monster hunting for Queen Solaria of Mewni. **"I garnered a reputation as a monster slayer. I took great pride in that distinction. I loathed monsters. I saw them as nothing more than meat for my hunt. Sworn enemies to the peaceful people kind.**"_

_Solaria managed to find a globby, melting sort of monster and started chasing it all over the forest and swamp. Its fear and paranoia only further drove Solaria to her goal. **"I put the weight of my people on my shoulders. It was my responsibility to protect them from monster kind.**** But somewhere along the way, everything went wrong."** The monster eventually tripped over itself and fell to the ground, giving Solaria the perfect opportunity to strike. She raised her sword wand and readied herself._

_"No, Queen Solaria! Please! I beg you!" The monster shouted, raising its right arm towards her. This immediately caused Solaria to hesitate. Though the monster's appearance was foreign to her, the monster's voice was completely recognizable. As it turns out, this monster was one of Solaria's most loyal and trusted soldier. The outstretch arm began gooping at a ridiculous pace until all of the goop fell off, revealing a severely damaged and burned Mewman arm. Solaria gasped loudly._

_"Albert!" She reached her hand out to help him up. "What happened to you?"_

_"It was awful, my queen. I was out by the river collecting the frog blood you asked for, and I fell in. But it wasn't just ordinary water. There was all of this...sludge everywhere!"_

_"Sludge?"_

_"And then the next time I blink, I was this goopy, disgusting monster thing!" _

_"Lead me to this sludge!" This soldier took off in the opposite direction, with Solaria following closely. They arrived at a river which was now half infected with black, disgusting, slimy sludge. Solaria let out a disgusted groan._

_'"Where on Mewni did that come from?" She exclaimed._

_"I haven't the faintest idea."_

_Solaria knelled down and took his soldier's shoulders. "Have you seen anyone of your fellow soldiers, or even fellow Mewmans, who resemble you now?"_

_"I have run into several Mewman citizens who have come into contact with this sludge but none look like I do. All of them have been effective differently. When I ran into them I asked them to wait at a nearby hut while I went to find you."_

_"Take me to them."_

_The soldier led Solaria to a hut. She slowly opened the door to find at least two dozen Mewman citizens that had been affected by the sludge. All of them had been radically mutated, but all mutated different. The degree of mutations ranged from simply one's feet being shriveled and cracked to one's entire body turning into that of a monster lobster. One unfortunate soul was only mutated from his head, but as a result became severely ill and had to lie down on the ground to rest._

_**"For all I knew, that sludge had been seeping into the forest and into Mewni for months, if not years. After I escorted them to the Magic Sanctuary, I convened an emergency meeting with the Magic High Commission."**_

_Solaria summoned Hekapoo, Rhombulous, Omnitraxus Prime, and Glossaryck to a meeting room._

_**"But to my shock and dismay, they ignored my concerns. They all said that wherever this grime originated from, it would be a mighty weapon to use in the fight against monsters. Well...all except for one..."**_

_As Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus proceeded to leave the room, Solaria felt a fiery rage burning inside of her. She began to reach for her sword wand when she was stopped. "My queen!" Glossaryck shouted. "You may want to put that away first."_

_"...What does that mean?"_

_Once the others were out, Glossaryck shut the door and locked it behind him. "My queen...you do understand that I'm the one that created those three to benefit Mewman kind, correct?"_

_"...Yes?"_

_"As such, their actions directly reflect on me, and I am responsible for how they conduct themselves and how they represent this world."_

_"If you're trying to make a point, can you please get-" She stopped herself immediately, having realized exactly what he was saying. "Them?"_

_"I overheard them a while back talking about a 'monster eradication' plan, and from what you've described tonight, it appears that plan is being put into practice."_

_Solaria was stunned. "Do...they know what's actually happening, though? Are they aware of the mutations?"_

_Glossaryck sighed. "If they don't, then they're **choosing** not to know."_

_Her jaw dropped hard. "Do they know that you know?"_

_"No, my queen. And I'd prefer to keep it that way."  
_

_She sighed and shook her head. "I was out monster hunting tonight. I almost killed a monster. That monster turned out to be one of my most loyal soldiers. Victimized by that toxic waste. What if I didn't hesitate? What if I've already killed a monster that was unjustly mutated from an innocent person?" She had to take a breath to compose herself. "What now?"_

_"You have your head on straight. This scheme of theirs needs to be cleaved, and quickly."_

_Solaria rolled her eyes briefly before giving it deeper thought. "Could that actually work?"_

_"I suppose there's only one way to find out." Glossaryck prepared to teleport himself out of the room. "This conversation never happened." And with that, he was gone, leaving Solaria to her thoughts._

_"Okay...if I was them, and **I** had a secret weapon to finish off the monsters, where would I put it?"_

**_"I was betraying their trust, but I had no choice. I had to destroy that waste. I could not risk any more innocent people being hurt or worse."_**

_Solaria eventually found their stash of magically created toxic waste, hidden in the most logical yet illogical place imaginable: the realm of magic. Contained in several dozens large barrels, each barrel was filled to the very top with repugnant black sludge. Solaria placed her hands slowly over one of the barrels and began quietly chanting the Whispering Spell. For a brief moment it appeared to be working and the sludge slowly began to disappear. But she was interrupted._

**_"But somehow, someone got wind of my plan. I was ambushed."_**

_Several dozen "soldiers" (magical soldiers specifically created by the Magic High Commission) attacked Solaria from behind and pulled her away from the barrels. They were relentless in their attack on her and wouldn't let her up. At least, until..._

**_"I had no choice. To save myself I unleashed the most powerful spell that I knew."_**

_Solaria's eyes lit up white and her body began to radiate magical energy. Her body lifted off the ground as she took a fetal position of sorts. After a few seconds the radiating became stronger and continued getting stronger until she came out of her fetal position, screaming her head off and unleashing an astonishingly powerful explosion._

_[End Flashback]_

* * *

"I have since dubbed that spell the "Suicide Spell." Glossaryck interrupted. "It wasn't even one she was taught, she just...cultivated it on the spot."

"Suicide spell? Wait, I thought she was killed in a mundane monster hunt." Marco questioned.

"No, no. That was the lie that she wanted me to pass along to the Commission and to her people, in the event that she perished on her mission. That was the lie that I've carried with me for so many years. Anyway, that explosion was so powerful and contained so much magical energy that it actually ended up splitting Earth and Mewni into two separate dimensions."

"But wouldn't have people noticed or felt that kind of explosion?" Star asked.

"Once I got wind that something was wrong, I intervened quickly, using the magic that I had to wipe everyone's memory of the incident. I made it so everyone past, present, _and_ future believed that Earth and Mewni were always separate. I also used my power to restore the lost magic in the realm of magic from that explosion."

"Wait...you almost destroyed magic?" Eclipsa asked her. "Is...is that why you're back?"

"I can't say with any certainty, but I speculate that her revival is directly or indirectly connected to her damaging the magic _in_ the realm of magic. Of course, unlike young Star, _destroying_ magic was not her intent."

Everyone in the room exchanged looks of confusion, befuddlement, anger, sadness, and sorrow with each other.

"Of course, there's another part to this." Glossaryck made his way to Marco. "One that specifically concerns _you_, Mr. Diaz."

"Me?"

"You see, the explosion Queen Solaria created was so powerful that when Mewni and Earth split...well...some Mewmans were pulled from Mewni and left stranded on Earth. And...well, some _humans_ were pulled from Earth and stranded on Mewni."

Marco blinked twice and looked around furiously. "What does that have to do with me, exactly?"

"Well, given how you were able to so easily command the Butterfly Wand and access powerful spells that took predecessors years if not longer to master, I would say that one of the unfortunate victims pulled from Mewni was one of _your_ ancestors."

Star shook her head. "But that can't be. That would make Marco...part Mewman..." She and Marco exchanged gasps.

"That's not to say that _is _true. Admittedly I'm speculating because some of this _is_ quite a blur from so long ago. But it makes far too much sense to be coincidental."

Rafael, Angie, River, Moon, Eclipsa, and Globgor all exchanged looks with each other.

"Oh my gosh...Marco..." Star tried to muster something to say but couldn't find any words that work. So she turned to Solaria. "So...the Magic High Commission tried to destroy all of Mewmanity and humanity too..."

"No." Solaria interrupted. "I don't believe they ever _meant_ to hurt Mewman or Human kind. I believe their bigotry and hubris got the better of them."

"And if _you're_ back, does that mean _they're_ also back?"

"I'm not certain." Glossaryck admitted. "I would speculate that they are, but I haven't seen any signs of them. If they have returned, then I'm to assume that they're not aware of Solaria's resurrection, and I'd prefer we keep it that way for as long as possible."

"Why are you telling us any of this at all?" Eclipsa asked, turning to Solaria. "You...hate monsters."

Solaria looked down at the floor, and then back at Eclipsa, Globgor, and baby Meteora. "That's true. And...I still do. But if I had hurt someone innocent - even a monster - that had already been victimized because of the Commission's senseless quest for monster eradication, I'd never forgive myself. I don't understand exactly how I was revived, but now I have a chance to correct my mistake. A chance to hold the Commission accountable for their senseless violence and treachery. They knew exactly what they doing, or at least, they chose to bury their heads in the sand. I will hold their feet to the fire, or I will die trying."

"Okay hold on, time out!" Tom shouted, getting everyone's attention. "I'm still confused about something: _was_ magic actually destroyed or not?"

"No, Tom. It wasn't." Star said flatly.

"And I believe I had a theory as to why that's the case." Glossaryck continued as he turned to Moon. "Moon, correct me if I'm wrong, but prior to Star using the Whispering Spell, _you_ attempted to remove the Solarian powers yourself, did you not?"

"Yes. But it didn't work."

"And it didn't work because I specifically crafted the Solarian powers to be permanent, indestructible, and insurmountable." Solaria said.

"Mina did say their "loyalty to Queen Solaria" was too powerful to be revoked."

"Yes, but I believe the bigger issue is that we are actually dealing with two separate entities of magic." Glossaryck surmised. "The royal magic we are accustomed to and the Solarian magic that the Solarian warriors wield are not one and the same, and so attempting to destroy magic altogether created a conglomerate of magic that did not equally respond to the power of the Whispering Spell."

"In English?"

"I think he means...we should have used the Whispering Spell directly on Mina?" Marco proposed.

"Actually, that's better than what I was thinking."

"Well hold on, even if that was and now _is_ the solution, it's not doable. We can't do magic. I mean I can't stick my hand out like this-" He stuck his hand out towards the wall away from everybody. "-and say "cupcake blast-" And on cue, a cupcake blast was fired from Marco's hands, completely and absolutely shocking everybody in the room, including himself. Gasps were audible and overlapping.

Star looked at her own hands, then at Marco, then she stuck them out at the wall as well. "LASER BEAM BLAST!" An energy beam shot from her hands towards the wall as well, creating a thick crater. This stunning revelation had both Star and Marco screaming at the top of their lungs. "I CAN DO MAGIC! HOW CAN I DO MAGIC?"

"HOW CAN **_I_** DO MAGIC?" Marco shouted.

In the midst of this, Moon herself attempt to do some spells, but nothing came of it. "And why can't _I_?" Moon asked. Glossaryck sat himself in between Star and Marco.

"Kids, I need you to walk me through every second of what happened from the time the realm of magic collapsed to the moment Earth and Mewni cleaved. Every detail, no matter how minute."

Star and Marco both took deep breaths. "Okay. So I went back to the realm of magic after I went up the Mewni well. I-I wanted to be with Marco so bad, and I-I wasn't going to let anything stop me ever again, and-" Star began tearing up, so Marco responded by hugging her and holding her close, and it helped significantly. "So we were down there for I don't know how long. We were hugging and I felt my cheek marks light up-"

"Mine too." Marco added.

"And then there was an explosion, and the next thing I knew I was back on Mewni with Mom."

"And I was back on Earth."

"So I went to look for my friends, and I ran into Tom, and Tom told me that there was a portal right in the middle of Mewni."

"I was strapped to a gurney and Janna told me there was a portal in the middle of Echo Creek. She stopped her pulse to distract the medics so I could run to it."

"Wait, you did what?" Star - and everyone - turned towards Janna.

"Sixty seven seconds. New personal best." She said triumphantly.

"You mentioned something about a portal?" Glossaryck asked to get the conversation back on track.

"Oh yeah, so Anyway, I ran faster than I've ever run towards that portal."

"Jackie loaned me her skateboard so I could get to it. I...I actually don't know what happened to it."

"It's cool, Marco. I've got like six others." Jackie interjected.

"But before we got to the portal, it shrunk in size, and then it just sort of..."

"Exploded." They both said at the same time.

"I thought it was closed." Marco continued. "And only then did I realize that something weird had happened."

Glossaryck was clearly invested and confused by the detail. "Fascinating."

"Yeah but what actually happened?" Star asked.

"My guess? That portal was created by you two. You and your commitment to each other, your love for each other...created that portal..."

Star's eyes went very wide. "The fortune cookie."

Marco darted his eyes over to Star. "The what?"

"That fortune cookie I got that one time. _Love is always the answer._ Could...this have been what it was talking about?"

"That was like over a year ago, and it was in the middle of a typical monster battle. That just doesn't make sense."

"Since when does magic follow traditional logic?" Glossaryck smarmy-answered back. "From what you've described, if I had to speculate, I would deduce that the portal was meant to act as a sort of containment device. As long as it wasn't disturbed, the magic would be contained, and the era of magic would be over. However, because you two approached the portal in an effort to reunite, it reacted to your presence, and thus, it exploded, resulting in Mewni and Earth cleaving _and_ bestowing you two the ability to perform magic. So by trying to reunite, you both ended up sabotaging your efforts. Unintentionally, of course."

"Alright, so...do they have _all_ of the magic, then?" Moon asked.

"I can't say for certain, unfortunately..."

* * *

Back at the Britta's Tacos dungeon, Mina stared endlessly into the vat of liquid gold, which wasn't just any liquid gold. It was the magic that once belonged to Mewni.

_**"If magic wasn't fully destroyed beyond the children, then logically it would be collected into a single space for either safe keeping or exploiting. If that's what happened, then it's imperative that that containment never be touched."**_

Mina, without prompting, dipped her hands into the vat. She let out a fierce, ear-splitting scream. As she screamed, the vat began to drain and Mina's body began to glow. Once the vat was fully drained, she was launched from the vat right into the wall where the ladder was. It took her a few moments to regain her consciousness. But when she did, she immediately felt a difference in her body. Strength that she had lost was suddenly back. Maybe not _her_ power, but she had power again.

Her hands glowed gold. She admired her glowing hands for a moment. But then her mind began to race, and thoughts of anger, fury, rage began flooding her mind, particularly of Star and Marco. Those two kids more than anything were at the forefront of her rage. As she grew angrier, her hands' glowing went from gold to orange to red to black with a dark red center. She gritted her teeth together, and in a moment of total instinct, reached her hands up and then pulled them back towards her body, rolling them into a fist while doing so, and screaming at the top of her lungs.

_**"Magic like that is far too dangerous to be left in the wrong hands."**_

* * *

The result?

Star and Marco, out of the blue, suffered a sharp, severe pain in their hearts, and collapsed onto the floor. Everyone was sent into a frenzy.

"STAR!" Moon yelled.

"MARCO!" Angie & Rafael yelled.

Everyone stood up from where they were sitting and hovered over the two kids. Both of them spent a solid moment not breathing before they both opened their eyes hastily and took a deep breath. They both sat up and panted like crazy.

"Star!" Marco yelled. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I think so! You?"

"I don't know." He said in between panting. "I felt this..."

"Sharp pain in your heart?" She asked; he nodded. "Yeah, me too. It felt like my heart stopped." She groaned. "And now I'm...weaker all of a sudden." Marco and Star both looked around hastily at everyone in the room. All of them continued to remain shocked and concerned, with Glossaryck expressing the most of both. Nobody made a sound. The two kids continued breathing heavily without moving from the ground. Something was horribly wrong...

**End of Part 3.**

**Whew. Now that's a cliffhanger, am I right?**

**Please read & review! Reviews would be _greatly_ appreciated.**


	4. Conspiracies Afloat

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 4: Conspiracies Afloat**

**Original Postdate: August 7, 2019**

* * *

The group all helped sit Star and Marco on one of the sofas to rest. Both appeared clearly winded and worse for the wear after mysteriously collapsing on the floor. "Are you alright, lads?" River asked them.

"What the heck was that?" Janna added.

"I...haven't the foggiest idea." Marco admitted. "One minute we were talking, the next I felt like something punched my heart and it stopped a-and I fell to the ground...and that was it. What was even-"

"I think I know." Solaria interrupted. "It was a spell I was crafting on my own during my reign to aide in the fight against monster kind. I call it the _Torture Spell._ It directly attacks the hearts of my enemies, slowly weakening them and ravaging their bodies until the heart gives out." The explanation horrified everyone in the room. "Thing is, though...I never perfected it. I could never get it perfect to use in combat. And I _never _shared this secret with anyone else, not even Glossaryck."

"So it's like the Solarian wound that Mina inflicted on me?" Globgor asked.

Solaria sighed. "Not exactly. The spell was never fully developed. At full strength, it would instantly stop one's heart and kill them on the spot. I only ever got it strong enough to weaken it and have it kill the victim slowly."

"I guess that answers the question of "did someone get their hands on the magic." Tom interjected.

"But to do _this_ it had to be someone with enough training to conjure the strength and posture required to pull this spell off. It would take someone immensely talented..."

"Or _angry_." Star and Marco exchanged looks and silently agreed with each other. "Mina." Star clutched her chest in slight pain. "So...w-where do we even go from here?"

"I wish I had that answer."

"If I may..." Glossaryck interrupted. "Shortly before you set out to destroy magic, I did some investigating of my own. That toxic waste that plagued Solaria's people in her reign as queen? Well...not only did the Magic High Commission - in their _infinite wisdom_-" He said those last two words with gritted teeth. "-not clean up their mess, but it appears that've settled on doubling down. Not only have they created more, but now it's self-regenerating as well." Everyone in the room gasped. "The only problem is, at the moment, we can't prove it."

"They need to be confronted with the hard truth." Solaria continued. "But I'm not prepared to do that until I have all the evidence I've collected of their misdeeds."

"You investigated them?"

"Informally. And behind their backs. Before I went to destroy the waste I spent most of my spare time investigating them and collecting evidence, and then I scattered all of it across the multiverse. This way if they ever caught on and discovered they were being probed, they'd be unable to cover their tracks."

"But what about the other magic? If Mina _is_ the one that found it and she's come back..."

"Then we'll have to deal with her as well." Glossaryck said. "Curing Star and the Earth kid are the priority."

"But there's no reverse spell that goes along with the Torture Spell."

"True, but..." He snapped his fingers and made several pieces of paper appear out of thin air; they fell to the floor in a perfectly neat stack. The top paper showed a picture of a red/white liquid potion inside of a pitcher. The rest of the papers were a list of ingredients needed and the list of cooking instructions detailing how to make the potion. "There is _this._ It's a special, highly rare, ancient potion that acts as an all encompassing healing spell. It'll work on anything and everything...except Solarian warriors, that is. It can't cure them of their pledge to the Solarian life. But it _can_ cure the kids of the effects of the Torture Spell."

"But what about that sludge?" Buff Frog spoke, finally getting a word in. "Can this spell also dispose of it?"

Glossaryck was about to give an answer before a lightbulb went off in his head. Giving it more thought, he finally spoke. "I never thought of that. I suppose there's only one way to find out. Alright, here's the plan: we're splitting into two teams. One will go with Solaria to collect her missing evidence. The other will traverse with me to collect the ingredients for the recipe. We can't afford to waste time." Glossaryck snapped his fingers again and created out of thin air several smaller pieces of paper and quickly distributed them to everyone, one each. "Alright, if your paper has the letter A on it, stand over by Queen Solaria."

Star, Marco, Tom, Janna, Moon, and River made their way towards Solaria.

**Team A: Solaria, Star, Marco, Tom, and Janna. **

"Good. Everyone else is with me."

**Team B: Glossaryck, Jackie, Chloe, Angie, Rafael, Moon, River, and Buff Frog & children.**

"Are you sure about this, Glossaryck?" Star asked, wiping forming sweat from her forehead. "What if...you know, something happens to Marco and I?"

Glossaryck stared blankly for a moment before giving a very faint smile. "Kid, you're not the same princess I was mentoring for nearly a year. You are much wiser and stronger."

Star smiled as Marco took her hand. Everyone stood up and went with their respective teams. Glossaryck proceeded to open a portal and began to have his team go through it. "Oh, wait!" He stopped himself and his team before they did and then used his magic to grab Mariposa and Meteora from their parents, also conjuring up a magical playpen for them, protected by a magical force field. "Better to be safe than sorry." He gave a wink Star's way before he and his team went through the portal.

"Okay, so where are we going first?" Tom asked.

"I scattered all of my notes across the multiverse. I recall some of my hiding places...but not all."

"We can start with the ones you _do_ remember." Marco suggested.

"Good idea. Let's start with Pixtopia."

"Pixtopia, coming up!" Shouted Star. As she readied herself to open a portal, Marco grabbed her arm gently. "Marco?"

"Could I...do this one?" He asked. "It's not every day I get to practice magic."

She was quiet for a moment, but ultimately she relented and allowed him the opportunity. Clutching his right fist, he closed his eyes, concentrated for a moment, and then slashed his arm horizontally, opening up a portal. Unfortunately, the end result saw his right hand temporarily experience critical pain, as evidence by his shouting and resistance to using swears. Star grabbed him and hugged him to calm him down.

"It's okay, it's okay Marco. That's normal. That happened to me too the first time I tried opening a portal without a wand. But good work, Diaz." Star turned to the rest of the group. "Okay, it's now or never. Let's roll."

And with that done, they all entered the portal to begin the search for the truth.

* * *

Meanwhile, farther away, something nefarious was afoot. After discovering she had her powers back (or at least she had _power_ back), Mina traveled back to find her trusty servant Manfred. The poor soul was in the forest, chopping wood mindlessly for no discernible reason. Minda lightly tapped him on his shoulder with got his attention.

"Mina?" He was both apprehensive about seeing her and delighted to have company. Mina said nothing, but she held out both her hands and produced waves of magical energy to demonstrate to him. His jaw immediately dropped. "Good heavens! But I thought magic was destroyed by that young Butterfly princess."

Mina smirked and struggled to hold back laughter. "I guess she didn't believe hard enough. Now we know what we must do!"

"But...do you believe anyone will return to you?"

"Of course they will, you naive fool." She held out her left hand towards him as it started to glow an aggressive grey. "Either by choice...or _by force._" She closed her fist. Immediately Manfred found himself struck by an incredible power, and he quickly lost all control over himself. His eyes were replaced with vacant spots without pupils or irises, and a grey, fiery aura surrounded him. "It's time to reassemble the Solarian army!"

So Mina got to work, sneaking around quietly to find willing or unwilling victims to join her new army. She went around the new world spotting random people and using her newfound power to bend their wills to her control. One new recruit turned into two, two turned into ten, ten turned into fifty, and eventually fifty turned into over three hundred newly crafted Solarian soldiers ready to obey Mina without hesitation. Once the army was deemed a size satisfactory to her needs, Mina gathered the new recruits back into the forest away from any sign of human civilization.

"Congratulations, minions." She bellowed with confidence. "You have all been drafted to be a part of my new Solarian army! Together, _we_ shall restore Mewni to its rightful honor! _We_ shall eradicate all unwelcome monsters from the land once and for all! And _WE_ shall gain revenge on those miserable, sniveling _Butterflies!_"

The crowd of brainwashed Solarian soldiers cheered.

"But before we make our move...we need to get you lollygagging belly buttons into fighting shape!" Mina turned around and proceeded to open a portal. "Follow me to the training ground!" They all went through the portal. Unbeknownst to Mina, the portal she opened was to Dimension X-103, the dimension with the incredible time dilation.

While in Dimension X-103, Mina and her soldiers went through extremely excruciating training. They fought off the residents of said dimension, as well as each other in endless, violent battles, in what seemed like endless, non-stop battles. It was ruthless, as was Mina, and she proudly pushed herself just as hard if not harder than her fellow soldiers. They were all so caught up in their training and so dedicated to their craft that they completely lost track of any sense of time. What was intended to be a brief-ish stay for training turned out to be ten long years in this dimension.

Of course, Mina was not aware of this so at some point when it was relatively quiet in the training, it dawned on Mina that perhaps something was wrong. "OH NO! Our mission!" She shouted. "We have to get back!" She hastily opened another portal back to Earth-Mewni and had everyone go through it to return to their home world. However, upon returning, Mina was shocked to see that everything was essentially as they had left it. Literally, as if no time had passed at all. "What the...What is this?" She went over to one of her soldiers and grabbed their wrist to check their watch. To her befuddlement, the watch indicated that only five minutes had passed. "...five min-that doesn't make sense. We were there ten years!"

"Perhaps time on that battleground works differently from our home." The brainwashed soldier spat out, which made Mina's brain start to spin. But once it stopped spinning, she began to realize the implications of this fact. A sinister smile grew on her face.

"Do you know what this means?"

The soldier remained silent for a moment. "...no." He finally said, which briefly annoyed Mina.

"It means...we have an opportunity." She stepped away from the soldier and reopened a portal to Dimension X-103. "BACK TO TRAINING, MY MINIONS!"

They all cheered again as they raced back into the portal, with Mina crossing last, still smiling.

* * *

Team B, led by Glossaryck, found themselves in the dimension of Woolandia. Glossaryck gave everyone in his team a fake Woolett body cover to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to themselves. "Welcome to Woolandia, dimensional home of the Wooletts. Our first ingredient is to gather hair samples from three different Wooletts."

"That's the most atrocious thing I've ever heard in my life." Moon remarked.

"It's magic. What do you expect?" The group managed to find a group of Wooletts over by a nearby pond. The team slowly approached the group. "Strike up a conversation. Act natural. Wait for your opportunity, then _pluck!_"

"I thought they were Wooletts." Said River, which was met with a deadpan, unimpressed reaction from everyone around him.

Putting that to the side, the group rebounded and put the plan into action. They struck up a conversation fairly easily with the Wooletts, realizing that they were a friendly group. Of course they were also very talkative and active, making it fairly challenging for them to collect their hair samples. Eventually, though, they were successful in doing so and managed to scurry away mostly undetected. Once they were out of sight of the Wooletts Glossaryck opened another portal and had everyone go through it.

Their next stop was the Wonder and Amazement Dimension, where the group had to sever five strings of yarn from the gigantic yarn monster roaming the dimension, as well as lodge out one of its eyeballs, a task which viscerally disgusted everyone. Luckily, Glossaryck assured them, the eyeball always regenerated, as did the yarn. Of course, that didn't mean it was an easy task, as the yarn monster took great joy in wreaking havoc on its surroundings and our heroes. Thanks to Jackie, River, and Buff Frog plus his children, they were able to subdue the yawn monster long enough to gather what they came for, releasing him from his trap just as they were departing.

Their third stop was to Delphinidae, a dimension inhabited by attitudinal dolphins that swam in an endlessly large ocean. Their next two ingredients were a) a dolphin tooth, and b) one hundred buckets of ocean water. Buff Frog & children, Angie, and Rafael, focused on getting the water, while Jackie, Chloe, Moon, & River focused on the dolphin tooth. They had to distract one of the dolphins away from Buff Frog & co so they could collect the water. Dolphins in this dimension detested when their water was compromised, even more so than they hated losing their teeth.

This particular dolphin put up a hell of a fight, fending off Jackie, Chloe, Moon, & River valiantly and forcing them to get dirty & aggressive with it. Jackie, Chloe, & Moon managed to restrain the dolphin long enough to give River a chance to pull out a tooth. Despite his stature, his physical strength was unquestioned, and after a few brief moments, he succeeded in pulling the tooth out. The dolphin in question let out an excruciating scream of pain, which signaled to them that they needed to evacuate. The others were just finishing up the 100 buckets of water, and as they did, Glossaryck opened another portal and brought them out of the dimension before the dolphin could attack them.

That was only four of the ingredients they needed. There were still several more on the list, and a few more dimensions they needed to visit.

* * *

Meanwhile, Team A, the team of Solaria, Star, Marco, Tom, and Janna arrived at the Crystal Dimension, the home of Rhombulous. After visiting Pixtopia, the Sparkle Dimension, Zalla Mountain, Waterfolk Kingdom, and the Red Dimension, they had arrived at the destination where the final piece of evidence Solaria ditched outside of Earth/Mewni was stashed. All of them looked ahead at the towering crystal palace up ahead of them. "Here we are. The last place I've hid my evidence outside of Mewni. Once we finish up here I can finish the search on Mewni on my own. I don't need to put you four in any more danger than needed."

"Don't worry about us, we're a lot more durable than people give us credit for." Marco said confidently before clutching his chest and wincing in pain. The irony was not lost on him.

Solaria sighed. "You poor souls. You didn't deserve to be brought into this."

"Well, we're here now." Janna added.

"Yeah, so let's do this." Tom barked. "I just hope we don't run into Rhombulous."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Star announced, beginning to make hand gestures to conjure up a spell. "I have an idea. CLOAKING CAGE!" She launched the ball of magical energy in her hands at Solaria, coating her in a light blue, transparent aura. "There."

Solaria examined her person and was confused. "What did you do?"

"I cast a cloaking spell on you. Now Rhombulous won't be able to detect you. Actually, none of the High Commission will." Star announced proudly before clutching her own chest and wincing in pain. "I don't know how long it'll last, though."

"We shouldn't need long at all. Let's split up and cover more ground."

"Okay. Marco, you take Tom and take the west wing. Janna and I will take the west wing. Solaria, you go with whoever, it's your call. Whoever finds the papers first, use the Telekinesis Spell to make something break at the other group's feet. Then use the Fantastic Exit spell to get out of the palace. Then we'll reconveine and return to Earth Mewni."

"How will the group that Solaria doesn't go with know what to look for?" Janna proposed.

"Oh, good point. Ooh! I got it!" Star gestured to create more magic, and then fired it at Solaria again, and this time, it duplicated her. "There. One Solaria for us, one Solaria for you guys."

The two Solarias looked at each other, then smiled. "I've always wanted a twin!" They simultaneously shouted.

"Don't get used to it, the copy's going away once we're done here."

Both Solaria's "aww'd" simultaneously.

"Everyone ready to go?"

"I am, but, uh...any particular reason you're separating us?" Marco asked. "Not that Tom isn't cool, but don't you and I make the dream team or something?"

Star snorted. "Oh, Marco. No, but you and I are the only ones that can do magic. If we went together Janna, Tom, and Solaria would be mostly defenseless.

"Yeah," Janna interjected. "Besides Star needs someone that's capable of watching her _back_, not her _backside_."

"Janna..."

"Hey, for your information, I am more than capable of watching both." Marco spoke in a tone thinking he had won the argument. But upon realizing exactly what he had said, he covered his mouth in embarrassment. Star, for her part, was smiling & blushing, while Janna had her jaw nearly dropped. Tom was speechless for a moment.

"Alright that's enough of that, let's go." He said quickly as everyone split into their respective groups and got going towards the crystal palace. Poor Marco was suddenly distracted by his own stupidity to focus properly. Realizing this, Tom decided to speak up. "Dude, it's okay. I know you didn't mean anything by that." He tried to give Marco an out to cover for himself. But surprisingly, Marco did not take the bait, a combination of him being focused on the mission, and him being unsure about what to actually say.

"I guess...but..." He interrupted himself when he spotted what appeared to be Rhombulous turning the corner. Marco took him and the Solaria copy and cloaked them with a temporarily invisibility spell to not draw his attention. Indeed, it was Rhombulous, alive and well, walking towards them, rather angrily, though the spell ensured they were not spotted. Once he was out of ear shot, Marco lifted the spell and they continued their search. "I guess I just didn't hear Janna or whatever."

"Bro you don't need to justify anything to me, okay?"

"Look-" A frustrated Marco halted the search and turned to Tom. "Have you ever been a teenage boy with hormones that he can only hope to control?"

Tom looked blankly at Marco for a moment before gesturing his whole body. "Uhhh..."

"Right, dumb question, sorry." Marco sighed and put his hand up against one of the walls. However, upon doing that, he accidentally knocked a crystal out of its place on the wall, revealing what appeared to be a secret compartment with a lock on it. This drew Tom and Solaria's attention as well. "What's this?"

"I think this is it." Solaria remarked. She approached the wall slowly. "Yes, this is it! I stored my papers in this box and hid it in the walls of this palace."

"Awesome! We found it!" Tom shouted.

"Yes, but there's a problem. I...can't for the life of me remember the combination to this lock."

"Aww, poo."

"It's okay, I think Star developed a lock-picking spell." Marco approached the box. "If Rhombulous comes back, signal me." Marco held one hand up, wincing slightly, and began casting a spell. The lock on the door began fiddling around. Marco began sweating as time passed, signaling an increased amount of discomfort and pain thanks to the Torture Spell. But eventually he was able to break the lock and open the door, revealing a second door - one that slide upward and downward - this one without a lock. This development left Marco both unimpressed and confused. "So...you put a lock on the _first_ door, but not the _second._"

"I was in a time crunch, I didn't think all of my hiding places through." Solaria admitted. Marco rolled his eyes and opened the second door, revealing a buffed folder with several papers in it. "That's it." Marco pulled it out and handed it to Solaria. Solaria began to comb through the papers, dreading what she would revisit. Tom walked over to the two as she caught a glimpse of their curious eyes, and she handed them a few papers to look at themselves. The papers ranged from journal entries of Solaria's observations to visual drawings of the effects of the toxic waste, showing monsters being utterly damaged & decimated due to its effects and Mewman & humans either being poisoned by its effects or partially or wholly mutated into monsters. "Gutting, ain't it?"

"...And the Magic High Commission _knew about this_?" A shaken Tom asked. "And they still did it anyway?"

"Either that or they were in denial. And still are. But denial is not an excuse for crimes against Mewmanity."

"So what? Should we go find Rhombulous and bring him in, and then bring in Hekapoo and Omnitraxus?" Marco asked.

"No, not yet. The rest of my papers are back on Earth Mewni, and I can collect them on my own. Let's head back and strategize."

"Good idea. Oh, wait! I almost forgot." Marco closed his eyes and put his hands to him temples, unleashing the Telekinesis Spell.

Over on the other side of the palace, Star, Janna, and copy Solaria were also searching for clues when suddenly, a potted plant near Janna started lifting on the ground surrounded by a light blue aura. It was carried off of its shelf and then dropped to the ground, getting Star's attention. "Seriously? Janna, we can't just go breaking-" But she stopped when she realized the aura surrounding the plant. "Oh nevermind, it's the Telekinesis Spell." Suddenly she gasped. "Marco! They must've found it. We gotta go!" She turned to face the wall. "Everyone get behind me and grab on tight!" Janna and copy Solaria got behind Star and grabbed onto her. "FANTASTIC EXIT BEAM!" She blasted a spell from her hands that carried the three of them right towards the exit of the palace.

Marco, Tom, and Solaria caught wind of them doing this and realized what they had to do. "Well, guess we better go." Marco faced the wall as Tom and Solaria held onto him. "FANTASTIC EXIT BEAM!" And just like clockwork they too were on the way to the exit, leaving the palace without every being spotted by Rhombulous.

But that didn't mean Rhombulous didn't notice. Upon hearing the plant break and the ferocious winds of their exit, he raced towards the source of the noise. "WHO'S THERE?" He bellowed. He noticed the broken plant. "Oh jeez, not another one." He stormed out of that room in frustration, heading towards the other room where the secret compartment was. His mumbling to himself was interrupted when he saw that there was a piece of crystal on the wall out of place. This was the crystal that originally covered up the compartment. He walked over to it and gently took the crystal off, revealing the secret compartment. He was left bewildered and baffled. "What's this? W-What the..."

* * *

After exiting the palace, Star merged the copy Solaria back with the original Solaria and opened a portal back to Earth Mewni. They arrived only moments before Team B arrived from their adventures. At this point it had been a couple of hours since their all left, and it was now nightfall. Baby Mariposa and Meteora were the last to arrive, still playing with each other in their magical playpen, drawing "aww's" from everyone in the room. "So, I imagine that your escapades went well?" Glossaryck asked Solaria.

"Oh yes. We collected every piece of evidence I scattered outside of Earth Mewni."

"_Outside_?"

"The rest of my papers I've hid around this land but I can find them on my own."

"What about you, Glossaryck?" Star asked before giving into a hard cough.

"We've successfully collected all of the ingredients that we need for the antidote...except for one, that is."

"Wait, we missed one?" Moon asked.

"Why did you not say anything?" River added.

"Because it's not an ingredient that you folks can help me. See, the last ingredient...is magic." Murmurs from the group. "And not just typical magic like with Star and the Earth kid. Magic directly from the Realm of Magic."

"But the Realm of Magic was destroyed...wasn't it?" Eclipsa asked.

"If magic _is_ back in our world then chances are the Realm of Magic has been restored as well. See I need to mix our ingredients together and let that concoction sit for 12 hours _before_ I can add the magic. Only then will it bond with our antidote in a strong enough matter to make it all encompassing."

"14 hours? But do the children _have_ 12 hours?" Rafael interjected.

"Or what about the Mewmans and monsters that are being compromised by that waste?" Marco added before also giving into a hard cough.

"I agree. But if I add the magic too soon _or_ too late, the entire concoction will spoil and be completely ineffective. It's not an ideal solution, but it's our best chance. Everyone wind down and go about your nightly routines. I'll get started on the concoction, and we'll reconvene when I've retrieved the magic." Glossaryck snapped his fingers and poofed himself and all of the ingredients collected with him away, leaving everyone else to their own devices.

"So...now what?" Tom asked.

"I suppose we should use this time to rest up in case we're bombarded with Solarian attacks or something." Globgor suggested.

"I concur." Eclipsa agreed. "Let's all get us some rest."

"You guys go ahead, Marco and I will be up later." Star said, to which everyone reluctantly agreed to. Everyone except Star and Marco got up and started heading in different directions in the house. Soon Star and Marco were the only ones left, but Star's eyes were focused on one of the walls, where she started noticing some blackish-gray waste seeping through the wall. She tugged Marco's arm and got his attention focused on the waste too. "Look at that, Marco. To think that stuff's been around for who knows how long." She said through gritted teeth. "Harming monsters who might not've done anything wrong and hurting Mewmans and humans who certainly haven't done anything wrong. And I thought I hated the High Commission before..."

"Star..." Marco placed a hand on her shoulder. "Breathe."

Star took a deep breath and calmed down slightly, though she was still visibly upset. "I'm gonna do my own investigating."

"What?"

"I need to see this for myself. If it's even half as bad as what Queen Solaria has said, putting them on trial isn't good enough. Marco, I used to fight monsters...and have fun doing it. What if even one of Ludo's old henchman was a mutated Mewman? What if _all of them_ were? What if LUDO was one?"

"Star! You're getting yourself worked up." He brought her in for a hug which had a significant effect on her. "We have to take this one step at a time. If it's that important to you, let's go investigate."

They departed long enough for Star to look into his eyes and smile. "Thanks, Marco. But, you don't have to come with me." She vision started blurring rapidly; she shook her head to get it back to normal.

"I don't _have_ to do anything. I know you can handle yourself but that's not gonna stop me from worrying about you."

She smiled warmly and hugged him again. "Thank you." They both stood up and started for the front door.

"I always have your back, Star."

"And my _backside_, too, if you really want it." She slyly said with a tease, giggling on the way out, leaving Marco red and embarrassed.

**End of Part 4.**

**Remember to read & review! Reviews would be greatly appreciated. **


	5. Mysteries Unearthed

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 5: Mysteries Unearthed**

**Original Postdate: August 8, 2019**

* * *

It was now nighttime in the land of Earth Mewni. Star and Marco, despite their deteriorating conditions, decided to venture out into the land to investigate the discoveries they made with Queen Solaria. They traveled out deep into the forest. Their travel consisted of many steps where they had to avoid emerging toxic waste. "Ugh, this is disgusting!" Marco said.

"I wonder why we never saw this stuff before." Star asked.

"Well didn't we see this sludge when Toffee and then you destroyed the magic?"

"We saw sludge, but...this is different. It...looks thicker and grayer..."

"It does. I _don't_ remember seeing this at any point before your world and mine merged."

"You know what that tells me? It tells me the Magic High Commission _knew_ what they were doing and purposefully held back on it while we were around to not raise suspicion. They _know_ what this stuff is doing and they _don't_ _care_..." She took another deep breath as they successfully maneuvered past the sludge. As they made their way towards a nearby lake, Marco tripped over a rock and fell to the ground hard. "Marco!" Star rushed to his side and helped him get up. He was visibly struggling, holding his chest in pain and panting hard.

"That hurt a lot more than it usually hurts..." He remarked as he slowly got back to his feet. He was visibly sweating a lot more and panting hard. "I hope that magic potion thing Glossaryck's whipping up hits the spot. Because if it doesn't..."

"Marco I don't even want to think about it." Star urged him. She helped him stand up and they kept walking slowly towards the lake. As they got closer, they saw that almost a third of the lake's body was infested with the gray-black toxic waste. "Holy..."

"Guess this water's contaminated." Marco remarked. "Isn't this where some of the woodland creatures that reside in the forest get their drinking water?"

"Used to be. Those poor animals." In the distance Star heard some footsteps. From the sound of it it seemed there were multiple factions approaching. There was a nearby hill with an indent big enough to hide them both from sight. "Marco, quick!" She grabbed his arm and gently led him to the indent where they both hid out, peering over the top to get a view. Star held out her hand and it began to glow pink and purple, drawing Marco's attention.

"Star?"

"Shhh, keep your voice down." She whispered. "It's a recording spell."

"You mean like film?" She nodded. "Nice."

Arriving at the lake was a group of mutated and non-mutated Mewmans and people, as well as a small crab monster. They approached the lake in the hopes of getting some much needed nurishment, but their hopes were dashed when they discovered the lake was poisoned.

"Aww, man." One of the mutated Mewmans said disappointingly. "That's the third lake we've passed that's contaminated. At least this one isn't as bad as the others."

"Guys I'm so thirsty..." The unmutated Mewman uttered. "I need something to drink."

"Not from this lake! Look at it!"

"Well if not now, when? What if all the lakes are contaminated? If I don't get something to drink soon I'm gonna pass out." The Mewman, against his better judgement, dug his hands into the lake and started slurping the water.

"NO!"

After a few slurps, the Mewman stopped and exhaled in satisfaction. But after that, everything went downhill. He let out a pained scream and fell to the ground in agony. His body contorted in every which way possible. After a few moments of that, his right forearm burst, leaving a puddle of blood and body juice on the ground, and in its place grew a disgusting, hairy monkey arm. His mouth contorted and replaced itself with a duck beak. His torso was ravaged and completely shredded of any muscle it may have had. What was left in the Mewman's place was a complete shell of its former glory. Everyone around him screamed in mortal terror. Star and Marco had to fight every fiber of their body to not react in terror lest they ruined Star's film recording spell.

The group, after a few moments, picked up the newly mutated Mewman and carried him away, hoping to find some sort of medical assistance. Once they were out of earshot, Star stopped recording. "Well...that was depressing." Was all Marco could muster.

"This is what they've been covering up for all these years." Star said, once again through gritted teeth. She had to fight hard to avoid losing her cool entirely. She stopped herself just in time and started breathing to calm herself, though it involved having to swallow quite a bit of rage, which also resulted in her heart beating one beat too hard and causing her pain. "Those poor monsters..."

"Those poor people. It's one thing to want to eradicate the monsters, but their job was to look after the Mewmans & people of their world, too, right?"

"Come on, Marco. We need more." She gently grabbed his hand and led him off of the platform. They made their way through the forest and stumbled on a small remote village near the edge of the forest with little cots scattered everywhere. These cots, however, were also surround with small but thick puddles of toxic waste. Some of the waste was even seeping into a few of the homes. Star used her recording spell again as Marco walked slowly around the puddles and peered into the windows of a few of the cots. For the ones that had waste seeping into them, the families inside all took refuge on their furniture to avoid touching the ground. The ones that failed to stay up there fell to the ground and fell victim to the waste, either being mutated in ridiculous and unhealthy manners, or just outright dying.

This was the case for nearly every cot they checked, and Star made sure she got footage of every single cot thanks to her spell. And every visited cot made Star just a little bit angrier. "That's all of them, right?" She asked as they departed the cot area and avoided the waste.

"Yep. Not for nothing, Star, but this is getting depressing."

"I know what you mean, but I want us to be covered. If Solaria's gong to go all in with exposing the High Commission, I wanna help gather as much evidence as we can so they have nothing to hid behind." Her voice started to get angry again as her chest gave her pain again, this time, enough pain to force her to take a knee.

"Star!" Marco shouted, rushing over to her. She coughed hoarsely a few times and even coughed up a drop of blood. He also felt a similar pain in his chest and took a knee as well.

"I'm okay, Marco..." She said with hoarseness in her voice. "I'll be fine."

"Where else should we go?"

She coughed again before attempting to stand. Her legs were slightly wobbly but they allowed her to stand upright. "I think we need to go even bigger, Marco. Who knows how far this waste has spread. It could be everywhere on Earth Mewni. I wanna bolster Solaria's case as much as I can but I always kinda wanna crash for a bit before we have to get up again."

"Is there any way we could, like, take a bird's eye view of the world? Go up in the sky and use the recording spell to pick up everything at once without having to go to every specific place and waste hours that we don't have?"

Star's eyes widened upon hearing this idea that never once crossed her mind. "I...I don't know if that would work, but I guess it's worth a shot."

Star conjured up Cloudy to take her and Marco up into the sky, where they both used the record spell to scan the majority of Earth Mewni. Though their eyes couldn't pick up exactly what was happening, they knew they were picking up some activity. Using this method to further their investigation took some time, but it proved to be a far easier burden on them than going place to place on foot and risking their health even further.

At one point Marco caught a brief glimpse of what appeared to be Rhombulous, Hekapoo, and Omnitraxus observing an area of the world severely inflicted with the waste. "Star, look!" He pointed her to the center of attention. "Is that..."

"Looks like it. Let's get a closer look."

They traversed down closer to the ground and used the recording spell over them so they could capture any conversations they were having. Though neither Star nor Marco could actually hear what they were saying, they knew they'd be able to at a later point when they revisited their collected evidence. Unfortunately for them, the three of them stayed around for a while, much to their annoyance. The prolonged use of their spell - though necessary for the broader goal - was taxing on them. Finally, the three High Commission members dispersed and moved on, allowing Star & Marco to stop using their spell. They collapsed from exhaustion on Cloudy.

"About time, I thought they'd never leave." Star remarked.

"That's it, I'm done. I'm ready for bed." Marco announced.

"Ditto."

When all was said and done, they had been at it for just under 2 hours. They were beyond satisfied with the work they had done, but they were also beyond exhausted. They decided to ride Cloudy back to the former Butterfly Castle so they could get changed and get some much needed sleep.

* * *

At the castle, Star and Marco had gone to their respective rooms to change into their pajamas. When Marco was done, he decided he wanted to visit Star once more before he crashed. He knocked at the door to her room; it didn't take long for her to answer. "Hey."

"Hi."

"Mind if I...come in for a little bit?" He asked sweetly. She leaned in to kiss his cheek and then open her door.

"Of course." Marco walked in sheepishly and acted as if he was a fish out of water, completely unsure what to do. "Why don't we sit on the bed?"

"Okay." So they walked over the bed and climbed on. It wasn't a huge bed but it was enough to fit them and fit them rather snugly, which both of them did appreciate.

"I'm actually glad you're here." Star said after a brief silence. "I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For tagging along with me and investigating that stupid toxic waste. I know...I know I give you a hard time because I want to be independent and I want to make mistakes on my own, but...it's also nice knowing someone cares enough to want to look out for me, and to want me to be safe. And I'm sorry if I've ever made you feel like I don't appreciate you caring for my safety." She sighed and looked at her bed sheets. "I feel really hypocritical right now."

"No, no, it's okay. Honest. I understand exactly what you're saying." He reassured her. "We all want our independence, and we all want to be able to stand on our own feet. And believe me, I _know_ you're more than capable of that, magic or no magic." His words got her to blush. "But that also won't stop me from wanting to be that guy that stands in front of you like a shield and take the hits for you when you're in danger." She scooched closer to him as he was talking and wrapped her arms around him. "I don't like to think about anything bad happening to you."

"Me neither. But I know when push comes to shove, I have your back, and you have mine. But, uh, Marco...that reminds me..." She started to smile. "Why didn't you ever tell me you also wanted my backside just as much?"

Upon hearing the question, Marco groaned and used one of Star's pillows to cover his face. "Can we please not talk about it?"

"What? It's not a big-" She went to move the pillow but upon doing so, she discovered that Marco's face was bright red, which took her aback. "Marco?"

Seeing no way out other than the truth, he put the pillow down and sighed, unable to look her in the eye. "It's just...I'm supposed to be a gentleman, I'm not supposed to have these kinds of thoughts."

His response surprised her, but not for the reasons he expected it to. "What? Says who?"

"Says...well, me, I guess." He turned away and prepared for her to call him out. But what she did next was the complete opposite. She scooched even closer to him and kissed his cheek, hugging him tighter.

"Hey...I'm not offended, or insulted, or weirded out, or anything like that. If that was what you were worried about." She said with such a soft smile, a response that completely caught him off guard.

"You're...you're not?"

"No! Actually, I think it's really sweet." She started blushing harder now.

"But...is it, like...is it okay? I mean, kosher?"

She hesitated. "I don't know about that, but, come on Marco, I ribbed you about your abs from the Neverzone pretty much every chance I got. I'd be a pretty terrible person if I got angry at you for noticing my tush and _clearly_ liking it." Her use of the word made him blush even more now, but he was at least now able to look her in the eye. They both smiled warmly. "Can I ask you a question? A-And you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No, go ahead. It's fine."

"Okay. W-When did these feelings start cropping up?"

"You mean..." She nodded. He took a deep breath before answering. "The truth is, I don't really know. I know that I've been having these feelings for a while now, and there's been a few times that I'm not proud of where I've caught myself...you know, admiring it." He sighed; she blushed. "Funny thing, though, I kinda forgot for a time that I even had these feelings."

"What brought them back?"

"You're gonna think it's silly, but...this afternoon, when you wanted me to call you _Thunder Thighs_?"

Star winced at hearing the term. "Oh, no, please don't call me that. It's not at all what I thought it was."

"No I know. It's just that it got me to think of another phrase that's sort of like that one but I think...well, I think it describes you so much better. But I'm not sure if I should even share it."

"Try me." She said confidently, smiling at him. Her smile was enough to motivate him to do it. He leaned in and whispered the phrase, which made her eyes light up and her face turn bright red with a big smile. "Oh wow, Diaz, I had no idea."

Marco laughed. "Yeah, to be honest, I'm a little embarrassed about all this."

Star cocked her head to the side, confused. "Why?"

"Well..."

"Marco, you're not a bad person for this."

"I was just worried about these feelings being what define our relationship, I don't want that-"

"Okay, now you're being silly. We've traveled through countless dimensions, practiced magic like nobody's business, saved two different worlds from chaos _and_ merged them into one conglomerate, and we discovered things about ourselves we never would've if we hadn't met. Besides, don't you remember when we first met? I didn't exactly make a good first impression on you."

"Actually, you _kinda_ did..." He started to blush again. "But I know what you mean."

Star giggled and brought him in for another hug. "My point is, Marco, you having these feelings doesn't make you a bad or weird person. It's completely normal and it's actually really sweet. Now if you _only_ had those kinds of feelings for me and were constantly handsy with me all the time, that would be different. But you're not. You've never been. You've _always_ been super respectful of me and my feelings, even the times where I was being a dope and didn't deserve it." They shared a laugh. "And I think the fact that you're still worried about me being weirded out by you admitting this shows how careful and respectful you are. But you gotta give yourself a break."

"You're probably right." He finally relented. "I don't know, I guess it's just...every time I look at you you just get more and more stunning." Now Star was really blushing hard. "I thought Jackie was pretty, but you...you're _beautiful_. Heck, you're _stunning._ On the inside and on the outside. I _love_ being with you every second that I can. I don't ever want to leave your side. I wanna bask in your amazingness all the time if I can help it."

Star had to wipe a few tears from her eyes, but she eventually pulled him in for a kiss. "Oh Marco, I feel the same way. You're amazing. You're sweet, you're caring, you're adorable, funny, and frankly, one of the hottest guys I've ever seen. Of course, I've always been kind of a sucker for moles." Marco's turn to blush hard. "As much as I wanted things to work with Tom, I never really felt _any_ of this with him. But with you, it just feels...right. It feels normal. And I don't want it to stop."

"Me neither."

They kissed again before Star pulled back and look at her closet. Her eyes scanned it before turning back to Marco. "Hey, could I try something?"

"Uh...w-what does that-"

"Don't worry, it's nothing crazy. I...just need your opinion on something."

"Oh. Uh, well sure, then." He reluctantly agreed. She got off the bed and walked over to her closet, pulling up the mirror in front of it to cover it. "...Are you sure this is something you want to do?"

"You don't even know _what_ I'm doing, don't jump to conclusions, mister." She playfully scolded which got a laugh from him. "Okay, done! Tell me what you think." She slowly stepped out from the changing mirror and revealed herself to be wearing an aqua-colored swimsuit, with a top part and a bottom part, with her abdomen exposed. "I bought this on Earth after our beach day but I never got a chance to try it." She slowly spun herself around to show it off to Marco. It was a little tight on her but not egregiously so. "What do you think? Be honest."

Marco hesitated. He stood up slowly from the bed and walked over towards her. He struggled to find the right words, but after a deep breath, he tried to speak. "It...it looks incredible. _You_ look incredible."

"You really think so?" She asked as she slowly turned to face the wall and stayed there for a moment, getting Marco to blush madly.

"Yeah, I do." He smiled widely. Star turned back around and gave him a kiss with her face red as well. "I hope you didn't do this just for me."

"Oh yeah I _totally_ planned for you to finally admit that you're physically attracted to me at a time I just so happened to buy a slightly tight bathing suit to show off." She went off sarcastically before breaking off into laughter. "You really know how to make me laugh." They shared a long hug and another kiss. "Marco, I don't want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. We're besties. I can handle it. But I also don't want you to think you _have_ to change the way you talk to me. I'm not saying I need or even want us to talk like this all the time. I'm just saying I'm okay with it if you want to every once in a while. Especially when we're alone."

He breathed deeply and gave a smile back. "Thanks, Star. I...I think this'll be a work in progress, but it means a lot that you're comfortable with it."

"Oh I'm a little more than comfortable." They kissed again. "Okay, let me change out of this. It's too cold in here for this." She returned to behind her changing mirror to get back into her pajamas. Marco returned to the bed to wait for. When she was done, she climbed back in easily and they hugged again.

"I can't see myself getting tired of this." Marco said sweetly. "It feels like home."

"Yeah, it does..." Star said, her voice trailing off slightly. "And I hope you never do..."

Her words surprised him and caused him to pull away slightly. "What does that mean?"

She sighed and looked in his eyes. "Marco...it's embarrassing to say this, but...I'm scared. I'm scared of losing you."

"Aw, Star, you're not gonna lose me. It's going to take a lot more than a silly _Torture Spell_ for me to fall over helpless."

She looked down at the bed sheets and then at Marco again. "That's not what I meant."

Again, he was surprised, more so this time. "...Oh. I see..."

"I never had this feeling with Tom. I mean...I love the guy, I really do, but the thought of me "losing him" never really...crushed me the way it does with you. If I lost you, I think it would be just devastating. You mean so much to me, Marco. You make me feel safe, you make me feel happy. You make me feel _free_, free to be the real Star Butterfly. And I've never really had that before."

He chuckled. "Thanks. You know, you've done so much for me too. You really helped me break out of my shell. Heck, if I hadn't met you, I don't think I would've ever had the courage to ask Jackie out. I-" He stopped himself and gazed at Star for a moment, various feelings of awkwardness hitting him. "I'm...I'm sure that was awkward for you, me going out with Jackie while you had a crush on me. I'm-"

"Marco, it's okay. If I wanted to be bitter about it, it's my own fault anyway. I'm the one that pushed you to ask her out."

"But I'm glad you did. I mean, for so many years I couldn't even muster a hello to her. Now I'm on almost "best friends" level with her, and it's great."

Star smiled warmly. "Jackie _is_ awesome."

"As happy as I am with you and with what we have, I _am_ glad I got the chance to go out with her. It was fun while it lasted, and I think it was what I needed to ultimately realize how badly in love I was with you."

"I feel the same way. Tom really changed a lot, and he went through a lot of trouble to make himself a better person, and I'm glad I gave him another chance. I just...he wasn't the best fit for me and I obviously wasn't the best girlfriend I could've been. But...I guess it all worked out." They smiled and shared a kiss. They briefly pulled out of the kiss and stared at each other, before going right back to kissing, this time not daring to pull away for the longest time. During the kiss Marco placed his hands on Star's waist and did his best to keep them there. Despite Star's best efforts to shuffle them downward towards her rear end, he resisted and couldn't bring himself to follow along. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I..." Marco looked every which way before looking right back at her eyes. "I don't think I'm ready for _that_ just yet. I-I really appreciate you being okay with it, but...I kinda need to do this at my own pace."

Though she was slightly disappointed, her face beamed at his continued humility. "Oh, Marco." She kissed him again. "I love how much of a gentleman you are, even if sometimes I wish you weren't..."

"Believe me so do I." They both shared another laugh. "I'll get there."

"We'll both get there."

They kept a long embrace on each other and resumed kissing. Despite the time they were wasting and the sleep they were missing out as a result, they felt completely at peace, completely happy. This type of joy wasn't joy that was easy to find, but somehow, Star and Marco both found it. In spite of everything they've gone through, the trials they've experienced, their current health predicament, there was nothing they'd rather be doing than being in each other's company. But alas, they had to turn in eventually if they had any chance of being well rested for whatever was to come. "I...guess we better get some sleep." Marco started to climb out of her bed.

"Wait, Marco!" She said quickly before covering her mouth. After a brief thought, she uncovered it and decided to stand firm with what she was going to say. "Would you...like to sleep here tonight?"

"...that's okay, Star. I don't want to be a bother, and we both need to rest as much as we..." Marco wasn't really sure what he even wanted to say, but when he saw her disappointed eyes, he realized what she was actually asking - and what they both wanted. "Unless you _want_ me to stay?" She nodded shyly. "You could've just said that, you know."

She sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's not easy saying that I'm scared to be by myself. I just figured since we're both really sick at the moment it'd be better if we stayed close. You know, in case _something_ happened."

Marco smiled as he returned to the bed. "Nothing's going to happen to us."

"You know what I mean, though."

"You sure you want me to stay?"

"Totally." She said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I mean, I know it's not the biggest or most comfortable bed, and sometimes when I'm stressed I toss and turn and end up completely spread out, a-and sometimes I snore like a chainsaw, but-"

"Sometimes?" Marco teasingly interrupted, which drew an unamused glare from Star. If looks could kill.

"It really would mean a lot to me if you stayed. I..._I_ need you here."

Marco smiled reassuringly and kissed her on the cheek. "Star, I'd _love_ to stay here tonight."

They both climbed under the blankets and embraced each other, with Star burying her head against Marco's chest and Marco resting his head against her hair. They both smiled and breathed a little easier. "You know..." He said. "I never realized just how soft your hair is."

Star smiled & tried to hide her bright red blush. "Thanks. And Marco..." She looked up at him. "When this is all over...when it's finally done, you and I need a getaway. No magic, no butterflies, no family, no friends. Just you and I."

"That sounds great. Just you and me living it up for a whole week."

She again looked up at him. "...two weeks?"

After initially hesitating, Marco smiled and kissed her head. "Deal."

Though they spent a lot of time awake kissing and having a magical time, it didn't take long for them to fall into a deep, wonderful sleep, holding each other and feeling safer than ever.

* * *

Back in the Neverzone, the training of the Solarian warriors had finally completed, and now they, along with Mina, were testing out their newly increased power on the innocent people of the Neverzone. Reigning destruction and terror at literally every corner, there was nobody safe from their might. Not even the debatably equally powerful Hekapoo dared to cross them, having been made aware of their presence in her dimension only at the end of their training. Once Mina was satisfied with what she saw from her warriors, she opened a portal that led back to Earth Mewni. "Excellent work, my Solarian army!" She announced. "Your hard work is finally going to pay off! It's time to claim our ultimate revenge!" She cackled hysterically as she and her army departed the Neverzone. Hekapoo, despite being preoccupied with other things, followed her stealthily through the portal.

They arrived back on Earth Mewni and found that it was the dead of night. Although they had only spent just over 5 hours of Earth Mewni time away, according to the time dilation of the Neverzone, the Solarian army had spent approximately 600 years training and building their new power. Though they did not keep their aged appearances from the Neverzone on Earth Mewni, they _did_ retain their newly trained power. And now, they were prepared to wield it at everyone's expense. They were ready to take names _and_ corpses, and it didn't matter who stood in their way.

**End of Part 5.**

**Fun fact: this story I've been working on originally came to me about 2 years ago, after the Season 3 finale, originally meant as a crossover with Dragon Ball. I'm very glad I ditched that because now everything's just coming together really well.**

**Anyway, please read & review. Reviews would be greatly appreciated :)**


	6. Explosive Rage

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 6: Explosive Rage**

**Original Postdate: August 9, 2019**

* * *

"Solarian army, advance!"

The supercharged army obeyed Mina's command and advanced into town.

At the castle, everyone was still enjoying their sleep until the thunderous steps of Mina's army woke them all up. This included Star & Marco, who came off as particularly annoyed to be interrupted of their quality time, and not even because they were still in significant pain.

Everyone in the castle - and Glossaryck who magically teleported back to observe the problem - gathered outside the front door and saw Mina and her army slowly approaching. "Solaria is on her way back. But we can't risk anyone - even Mina - spotting her. We'll have to fend her off ourselves for the time being." Glossaryck snapped his fingers and made several weapons appear out of thin air. He distributed them to the non-magical people in the group: Janna got nun-chucks, Tom & Jackie a sword, Moon & Rafael dual axes, Angie & River clubs, and Buff Frog & his children shields & gauntlets. "Take these. They're your only defense in this fight."

"Not that I don't like fighting like a ninja but how is a pair of nun-chucks supposed to stop those overly buffed lunatics?" Janna questioned.

"They're magical weapons. They'll guide you through the battle."

"I don't exactly feel comfortable with just a sword." Tom remarked.

"I'm with the demon guy here." Jackie agreed. "I kinda feel like we're going in blind, even with Star and Marco on our side."

A brief pause followed before Tom spoke again. "You know it _just_ occurred to me we've never been formally introduced." Star raced over to the two to rectify that.

"Tom, Jackie. Jackie, Tom. My ex-boyfriend, Marco's ex-girlfriend." She said rapidly while the two shook hands.

"Love your third eye." Jackie complimented. "Does it help you see better?"

Tom chuckled. "You'd think so, but, uh no, actually it doesn't." Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Mina and her army.

"Hello _doormats_." She boomed. Everyone immediately turned in the direction of Mina. "long time no see."

"Mina." Star said flatly. "I see you've got yourself a new army." Star didn't hesitate to transform into her Mewberty form. "Well so do I."

"You could have an army of fifty million and it wouldn't help you. Ya see, chumps, we've just finished training. Did you know that there's a dimension out there where time works differently from here?"

"Mina, there's a dimension for every little different-" Star's eye-rolling lecture was immediately halted when she realized exactly what Mina just said. "_The neverzone."_

"We got ourselves a buttload of training in. And we've only been gone for about 5 hours."

"Six Earth hours?" Star's brain started racing; another wince of pain. "Okay, so if 8 Earth minutes equal 16 years in the Neverzone, then..." She started doing calculations out loud. "You guys have been training for over 600 years in the Neverzone?" This announced fact made Marco's jaw drop to the ground.

"Six hundred years?" Tom exclaimed in shock. "That's...a lot!" While technically a true statement, the simplicity of it drew Star's ire.

"You don't stand a chance, munchkins."

"Don't talk smug when you haven't played." Marco stepped forward and demonstrated his new power, launching a laser beam blast in their direction. Though it didn't hit anyone and was comparatively weak, just the mere demonstration of his magic shocked and irked Mina.

"What the...since when can the Earth Turd do magic?"

For reasons, the "Earth Turd" utterance caused Star to have a revelation. "PONYHEAD! I haven't talked to Ponyhead since our worlds merged! I hope she's okay."

This caused Marco to look back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Mina calling me 'Earth Turd' made you think of Ponyhead?"

"Well that's _her_ nickname for you, isn't it?" She clarified before turning to Mina and shouting. "YOU HEAR THAT, MINA? You're not even original!"

"This feels like an incredibly pretentious game of 20-question-Round-Robin." Glossaryck commented to nobody.

"Enough talk!" Star shouted. "Everybody on the ground, go for the soldiers. Marco and I will take Mina!" As she announced her plans, everyone started charging towards the Solarian army.

"Solarian soldiers, charge!" Mina called, and they did just that. As for her, she transformed into her augmented form and followed suit.

It quickly became a violent brawl of intense combat. Though the Butterfly squad was clearly outmatched, even with their enhanced weapons, they admirably held their ground and even got in a few hits on the soldiers. As for Star and Marco, they had their share of problems but were able to stay on their feet with Mina. Trading blow after blow, spell after spell, it seemed that despite the supposedly 600 years of training they did in the Neverzone, they were doing no better now than they were the last time they fought.

Of course it wasn't like Marco and Star were using sophisticated spells or anything like that. What they were doing could be described as throwing dirt at the wall and seeing what sticks. And while nothing was concretely sticking in the way of getting solid hits on Mina, it _was_ helping them stop Mina from getting solid hits on them. Every time Mina thought she had the upper hand on the two, they'd come up with another spell to propel Mina off of her pedestal.

Though they hid it well, the battle was taking a clear toll on Marco & Star, and it was accelerating, however slightly, their health decline thanks to the Torture Spell Mina used on them. And by this point, Mina still had no idea she even did that, or that Star & Marco were her victims. In fact, Mina was so laser-focused on the battle that she didn't even notice they were starting to struggle physically.

Back on the ground, the Solarian soldiers continued to put up an incredible fight on the Butterfly squad. The squad began to struggle, getting repeatedly knocked back by blow after blow. Even with the help of their magically enhanced weapons, it was still an uphill battle. Despite the injuries beginning to pile up for the Butterfly squad, with Glossaryck's help, they managed to push back on the Solarian soldiers, weakening them & overpowering them with relentless force.

Something that none of them even noticed: toxic waste was starting to seep in around them from the corners of the land. It only became a known entity to them once Jackie managed to push back on one of the warriors so hard they were dunked into a puddle of the waste. Upon landing in the waste, the poor soldier found herself being violently mutated. From a simple, corrupted woman turned Solarian soldier into a woman mutated into an ugly Sasquatch-esque monster with a pterodactyl foot and a woefully misshapen fish fin for a hand. The poor woman's screams were loud enough to draw Mina's attention. While at first she showed no emotion towards it, as the mutation continued, it appeared as though something was stirring in her head, and her deadpan focus gave way to confused shock.

Noticing this shock from Mina, Star halted Marco's attempt to attack her unguarded. Just as this was happening, Moon, Angie, Rafael, and River managed to subdue a few more soldiers and push them back. So hard, in fact, that they too succumbed to the effects of the waste. While some were only mutated slightly, others were violently ravaged from its effects and utterly destroyed top to bottom as a result of it. This only caused further confusion from Mina, which slowly turned into outrage, though she had no idea where the outrage deserved to go to. From afar and out of sight, Solaria saw that Mina was starting to come out of her augmented state and believed that this would open up a door for her to get through to her.

However, before anything further happened, Mina was blasted by a powerful magical blast and sent flying into a nearby tree. She crashed hard into it and fell to the ground, significantly damaged. Everyone, even the Solarian soldiers, turned in the direction of the blast and saw that it was from none other than Hekapoo herself. Floating beside her was Rhombulous riding on a crystal board he crafted for himself while holding a magic orb containing Omnitraxus inside. The sight of the Magic High Commission invoked even more anger inside Star, as she bit down on her teeth so hard she risked cracking them from that alone. The MHC floated towards the distraught Mina to confront her.

Mina woke up & immediately went into a panic attack. "Hekapoo! Quick! My soldiers are damaged and...and something weird is happening to them!"

"Mina, it's nothing to worry about." Hekapoo said coldly.

"...what?"

"They'll be fine. _You_, on the other hand, are in hot water."

Mina began to stammer as she stood up. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of someone - Solaria - coming out of hiding and heading towards the group. She wasn't entirely certain if it was the real deal or if it was her hallucinating, but it strengthened her resolve for temporary retreat. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" She raised her hands and, in an instant, every single one of her remaining Solarian soldiers disappeared in thin air, transported to another location. Even the ones that were mutated. Afterwards, Mina used another gesture to conjure another teleportation spell, sending herself away before the MHC could do or say anything further. Hekapoo shook her head as she and Rhombulous turned to the Butterfly squad. They walked slowly towards them as Star & Marco landed on the ground.

"Dude, how were you flying without wings?" Janna asked. Marco shrugged.

"Seriously, I'm like, super jealous of you right now." Star admitted, transforming out of her Butterfly form.

"So, I guess your plan to destroy all magic didn't exactly go as intended." Hekapoo said. The mere sound of her voice caused Star to grit her teeth and clench her fists.

"Yeah, I guess it didn't." She said through said gritted teeth. Marco gently grabbed her hand to help calm her.

"Or, you know, maybe you did something wrong."

Before Star could answer again, as she was clearly agitated, Marco spoke up. "What are you guys even doing here anyway?"

"Just keeping a check on things, making sure we keep Mina in control, that sort of thing."

"I thought I was a goner!" Rhombulous said out of nowhere. "Heck, I was! But then I wasn't! It was like a trip, man."

Moon stepped forward to speak. "Hekapoo, we have things under control here. Star and Marco are capable of utilizing magic."

"No, they're capable of using _spells_. Using spells and utilizing magic are not the same thing. As I'm sure you remember from when Star was training to be the heir to the throne."

Moon was not amused by Hekapoo's blatant Star bashing. "You may not believe this, Hekapoo, but Star has matured fabulously since those days. She mastered magic spells that were never even in the Spellbook. She took a stand for what she believed was right. She took the burden of helping Eclipsa transition to being the new queen on Mewni all by herself and put herself through a hell she didn't deserve." Despite her obviously building rage, Star smiled proudly at her mother willingly praising her without prompting. "So I'd kindly ask you to watch your tone with my daughter."

"You know what, Moon? You're right. I _don't_ believe it. Because you're a terrible liar." Was Hekapoo's response, which made Moon's jaw drop. Glossaryck stepped in.

"Do you really think questioning Star's judgement is the right way to proceed at the moment?" He said sternly, clearly unhappy. "I agree with Moon's assessment one hundred percent."

"Oh, so we have _two_ bad liars in the group."

"Just keep in mind who created _who_, here." Glossaryck was the one who originally created Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus.

"Be that as it may," Omnitraxus finally spoke up. "This isn't the time to be re-litigating the past. We must focus on the threat _now_. Mina has retreated, but all signs point to her returning eventually. We'll take over the watch for her now."

"Um, excuse me?" Tom interrupted. "We just kicked serious butt out there, does that not count for anything?"

"Didn't you just hear him?" Hekapoo interjected. "Stay out of this." She snapped her fingers, and her, Rhombulous, & Omnitraxus vanished. Once she was certain they were gone, Star let out a loud, infuriated growl.

"The nerve of those...those..." As she struggled to find more words, Solaria finally arrived with the group. "Hey." She turned to Glossaryck. "Do you think they know that Solaria is back?"

"I don't believe so, but if they did, they surely wouldn't tip their hand." He answered with a sigh. "Sometimes I ask myself where I went wrong when I created them. They once did have a moral compass. Or maybe they never did and I simply convinced myself they did."

"What do we do now?"

"We still have a few hours before I'm able to collect the magic from the Realm of Magic to finish off that antidote."

"Why don't you all fall back for the time being?" Solaria suggested. "I'm going to go find Mina."

"Mina?"

"I think she's vulnerable. You saw how her soldiers being ravaged by that waste traumatized her. It's the same kind of trauma I experienced when I uncovered this conspiracy."

"But where would she go?" Solaria turned around and stared at the castle. "...wait, if she's in the castle..."

"I don't think she wants to cause harm." Solaria stated firmly. "This is exactly what happened to me. I sought answers, not chaos. I think she'd be doing the same." Solaria turned to the group. "Just go back to your rooms and retire for the night. Let me handle things from here." Solaria started to walk towards the castle before being stopped.

"Wait!" Marco shouted, running to her. "I have an idea. Give me your hands." Though she hesitated, she eventually relented. Marco took her hands and began to transfer some of his magical powers to her. The process only took a few seconds, but once it was completed, Solaria's hands were glowing with a pink & purple aura.

"What have you done?"

"I gave you some of my powers." Marco explained. "Star and I went investigating earlier tonight to see what we could find. Anything to help bolster your case, and I gave you everything that I recorded."

Star facepalmed, kicking herself for not thinking of that. "Of course!" She walked towards Solaria and did the same for her. "Here. Just in case."

Now Solaria not only had the footage they had recorded earlier, but a little bit of magical power at her disposal just in case something went wrong. "Thank you, kids. You've all done good tonight." With that, she got a headstart into the castle to take her own path, leaving the rest of the group outside to stew for a brief moment. Star let out another muffled shrieked.

"Stupid Magic High Commission!" She growled, clearly losing it.

"Star, honey, it's okay." River reassured her. "We're going to clean this up and move on with our lives."

"Your father's right. Have faith." Moon tried to comfort her, but it wasn't working.

"Mom, I had faith that destroying the magic would fix everything. I had faith that I'd be able to find a way back to the love of my life without trouble. I had faith that I didn't screw everything up, but..." She turned away. "I need to be alone right now." She raced into the castle, with everyone following slowly behind her.

* * *

Star ran all the way to her room and slammed the door behind her. She growled loudly and clenched her fists, her veins beginning to pop and her chest giving her even more pain. This also came with hard panting as she was now badly struggling to contain her anger. She slid down on the floor and buried her head in her knees, trying and failing not to cry. At one point, her heart gave one massive pump that was so painful she coughed up a little bit of blood.

**_Help, I have done it again_**  
**_I have been here many times before_**

After finishing coughing up the blood, she stayed there on her knees for the longest time, with painful thoughts racing through her head. Finally she managed to work up the strength to stand up and began pacing around her room, growling and breathing intensely. Her blood boiled like never before in her life.

_"You've been lying to our family for generations!"_

_"We had to! Can you imagine what would happen if the power of magic fell into the hands of a monster?"_

**_Hurt myself again today  
_****_And the worst part is there's no one else to blame_**

_"Things haven't been right since my family took the throne. The best thing I can do as queen...is to the give back what was stolen from you."_

Star trudged angrily over to her closet - around her mirror - and grabbed a scrapbook that was hidden on one of the shelves. She sat down in the middle of her room and started going through it. In it were pictures of various adventures in her life from the time Marco entered it to that particular day. One picture in particular she was drawn to was from Eclipsa's coronation ceremony. It was a picture of her, Marco, Tom, Eclipsa, Meteora, and Globgor.

_"I let him out! Just so everyone could see what a monster he truly was!"_

_"You know, that's rich. Cause all he was doing was get away from **you!**"_

_"YOU **TRAITOR!"**_

_"We can't go back to Mewni because we'll die from a situation that **YOU CAUSED!**"_

_**Be my friend  
Hold me, w**__**rap me up  
**__**Unfold me, **__**I am small  
I'm needy, **__**warm me up  
And breathe me**_

She flipped through more pages. It dawned on her soon enough that some of these pictures she didn't even put into the book herself: someone else did it for her, as evidence by a loose picture she came across that depicted a pizza party that Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus threw to celebrate Moon dethroning Eclipsa while Mina, just before Star had tried to destroy magic. Star panted and took angry deep breaths, even going so much as to spit on the picture in disgust. Unfortunately, she spat out blood, which startled her. She threw the picture off to the side before noticing another picture hanging off the page. This one was a much happier photo, depicting her and Marco taking an up close selfie together. Her heart marks were lit up, as were Marco's moon crescent cheek marks.

Star stood up slowly and kept the picture with her, resuming her pacing. Though the picture brought happy memories flooding into her head, the pizza party picture countered that with thoughts of vile fury and rage.

**_Ouch, I have lost myself again_**  
**_Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found_**

Finally after a few moments of pacing she approached her closet mirror. Before reaching it she tripped over herself and fell to the ground. Her breathing became a bit more shallow and her vision was starting to blur. Nevertheless she stood up and approached the mirror. Her mind started to play tricks on her, as she saw images of her friends and family appear on the mirror. She couldn't decipher whether these were reflections of people standing in her doorway or figments of her imagination. And for her, it didn't really matter.

**_Yeah, I think that I might break_**  
**_Lost myself again and I feel unsafe_**

The first images to appear were of Janna and Tom. The appearance of them caused her to smile warmly. She touched the spot on the mirror were Tom appeared and slowly caressed the area of his face. The next to appear was Jackie. A frown appeared on Star's face, not one of disappointment but one of guilt. Nevertheless the Jackie reflection smiled and waved at Star, which drew a smile on the girl's face. Next was Glossaryck. While Star didn't always have the best relationship with him, and while she still wasn't his biggest fan, she held a deeply buried respect for him, and she smiled warmly at the reflection. Next was Angie & Rafael, with Angie holding baby Mariposa. Their appearance drew a laugh from Star and a giant, happy smile formed on her face. Now she was losing the fight to not cry. Next came Buff Frog & his kids, which easily draw a smile of pride from the girl. Then came Moon and River. She smiled, but only briefly, and then she looked back down at the ground, consumed with guilt & disappointment.

_**Be my friend  
Hold me, w**__**rap me up**_

The final two to appear on the mirror was Hekapoo, Rhumbulous, Omnitraxus, and Marco standing side by side. Star refused to even acknowledge the MHC's appearance and instead turned to Marco. Her heart fluttered a thousand times at the sight of him, and feelings of love, joy, and pride consumed her. She leaned in to the mirror and kissed the spot where Marco appeared, several times in fact.

_**Unfold me, **__**I am small  
I'm needy, **__**warm me up**_

What Star didn't realize was by now, they were no longer just hallucinations of her mind. Marco, Hekapoo, and everybody else she knew gathered by her door to check on her, concerned for her well being. But Star was too consumed by her hallucinations to realize.

_**And breathe me, **__**be my friend  
**__**Hold me, w**__**rap me up  
**__**Unfold me, **__**I am small  
I'm needy, **__**warm me up  
And breathe me**_

That is, until Hekapoo decided to open her big mouth. She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Seriously, get a pig shed." Four words. Just four measly words. Marco, standing next to her, was not amused. But Star? Star was _mad._

_Angry. Infuriated. Seething. F__ed up._

And she showed it.

With nobody anticipating it, Star punched the mirror with her right fist, right in the spot where Hekapoo's reflection was. She growled louder and louder, clenching her now covered-in-glass fist as she felt as if her veins were exploding. Finally, she hit her limit. She screamed like she never screamed before and resumed punching the mirror in the spots where the MHC reflected, at a pace that didn't even seem humanly possible. By the time Marco rushed into the room to stop her, she had already gotten twenty someodd hits in. There was glass stuck in various parts of her forearm and fists, and there was blood dropping everywhere. Star kept screaming and punching the mirror, not even realizing Marco was now trying to restrain her. He was failing.

_**And breathe me, **__**be my friend  
**__**Hold me, w**__**rap me up**_

She broke through his restrains and continued punching the mirror several more times. Eventually Marco had to fall backwards to get her away from the mirror, but even with him on his back, she continued to squirm through her rage trying to get free. She managed to break free, but by now she had completely exhausted her energy and her rage was giving way to heartache. She punched the mirror a few more times - although now she was so weak and so drained she couldn't even make a dent, and instead she just collapsed on the floor sobbing.

_**Unfold me, **__**I am small  
I'm needy, **__**warm me up  
And breathe me**_

Marco stood up and carefully walked towards her, carefully avoiding the broken glass on the floor. He tried picking her up but she was unwilling to let herself be helped. Her sobs coursed through the ears of everyone that was standing in the doorway. At some point they all decided to walk into the room to help comfort Star...all except for the MHC, whom all remained horrified at what they witnessed. Nonetheless, they decided to leave the area and let Star be cared for by the people that actually loved her. The girl kept sobbing as Marco and everyone else around her brought her into a tight hug as blood continued dripping from Star's arms. For the first time in her life, Star felt truly, _truly_ helpless.

**End of Part 6.**

**Please read & review! Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**


	7. Moralities Questioned

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 7: Moralities Questioned**

**Original Postdate: August 9, 2019**

* * *

Down on the lower levels of the Butterfly castle, away from the commotion of Star's meltdown, Solaria was trudging the long halls of the palace, looking for any sign of Mina. As she slowly moved along, she took notice of the gallons of waste continuing to seep through the cracks in the walls, some even slamming onto the ground and splashing everywhere. Solaria was successful in avoiding every drop, but each new drop of waste made her all the more infuriated. She caught glimpses of damaged portraits scattered on the floor that were being destroyed by the waste's effects.

She took notice of one of the portraits being surrounded by the waste. It depicted her with Mina, her first ever Solarian warrior. She went to retrieve it carefully and took it with her on the walk. After getting past the cadre of waste, Solaria spent some time studying the portrait. What was once her proudest moment as Queen of Mewni had become a nightmare, a painful reminder of the carnage she felt responsible for unleashing. In her mind, in her heart, she had let her Mewman kind down by allowing them to be subjected by such atrocious abuse by the MHC, even if they were ultimately victims of ignorance.

Solaria entered the tapestry room. Most of the tapestries and their tablets of information were still mostly in tact. But one tapestry in particular caught Solaria's eye: Star's. She approached Star's tapestry slowly and stood in awe of its presence. Star's victorious posture, the united & elated monsters in the background...everything seemed to wow her. But there was something else that caught Solaria's eye: there was no tablet of information beneath it. Despite the fact that Star's tapestry was done, the tablet was never completed.

For literally no reason at all, Solaria decided to fix that. She found a nearby loose paper & inked quill and began to write something brief. When she finished, she found a nearby thumb tact and carefully tacked the paper onto the bottom of the tapestry. It wasn't large, but to her, it was perfect.

The paper read: **_The seeds of hate deflated, at the hands of Star the Underestimated._**

After taking another moment to admire the tapestry again, Solaria resumed her search for Mina. She exited the tapestry hall and went into another room, a room that led straight to the fountain grotto. In the distance the sound of faint crying could be heard. She suspected it was Mina. She tip toed slowly into the area; as she got closer she realized that most of the floor and the walls were drenched in toxic waste. Sure enough, Mina was there, with her back to Solaria, knelled down on the ground in a spot where there was no waste. Mina was standing over a puddle of waste, where her pet crow Sebastian was lying. The crow had accidentally fallen into the waste, and not only had it been violently mutated into a part crow, part woolett, part shark monster, but it had injested so much wasted into its body that it poisoned and killed him quickly, leaving Mina completely shattered and broken.

After witnessing several of her loyal Solarian warriors succumb to the brutal effects of the waste & become the very thing she was trained to kill, she now had to experience a tragedy that crushed her so closely. Solarian slowly approached Mina, carefully avoiding stepping into the waste. She knelled down next to her and kept silent for a moment. While she didn't know the crow personally, she deduced that the crow was important to Mina, so he was important to her. After a moment, she looked across at Mina, who was still crying, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss." She said quietly.

"Thank you, Queen Solaria." Mina was so entranced in her heartbreak that it didn't even dawn on her what she said until after she said it. But once she realized what was said, she gasped loudly and turned to face her. "QUEEN SOLARIA!" And the ensuing shock caused her to nearly fall over into the waste herself. Luckily Solaria caught her in time and situated her back on her feet, though she quickly knelled as a sign of respect. "My queen."

Solaria sat there for a brief moment in solemn silence. "Mina." She spoke quietly.

Mina was at a complete loss for words or ideas. So she turned her attention back to her beloved crow. "W-We found this room a-and there was waste seeping through the walls." She started to explain. "I thought I could stop it with my powers but it was completely unaffected, and t-then I tripped over something and knocked into Sebastian, and he fell into the waste, and...and he started to-"

"Mutate?"

"Yeah, he was changing every which way and he was shaking, a-and then I saw something explode in his chest..." The tears started to well down her face at an alarming rate. "I think it was his heart!" It didn't take long for Mina to break down sobbing. Solaria stayed silent to let Mina cry everything out. It took a while, but given the circumstances Solaria was not about to disparage her for showing similar emotions that she had when she went through this revelation. Eventually Mina calmed down enough to face Solaria again. "Queen Solaria...I have so many questions. What are you doing here? H-How are you back?" She looked back down at the crow and a lightbulb went off in her head. "And...how did you know what happened with Sebastian?"

Solaria looked down at Sebastian as well, and then back at Mina. "I know that you and I are in the same boat. We were led astray by people we believed we could trust, people we thought had the best interests of Mewman kind at heart."

Mina cocked her head in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Solaria slowly stood up and backed away slowly to give herself room, minding the puddle of waste before her. "I don't blame you for any of this, Mina. You were taken advantage of the same way I was. I will do my best to illuminate you, Mina. Because you deserve the truth." She stuck her hand out towards the ground; her hand began glowing a pink & purple aura. Out projected a video playback, starting with the time Solaria nearly killed Albert, one of her most loyal Solarian soldiers besides Mina. Mina got to see first hand Solaria's shock & horror upon realizing that the monster she was chasing was actually a mutated Mewman. She got to witness second hand the devastation that Solaria learned from that soldier and the innocent Mewmans he introduced her to. At first it seemed like maybe Mina wasn't getting it, but her face shifting slowly from deadpan to confusion to surprise told a different story.

The next clip Solaria showed her was the one of the meeting Solaria set up with the MHC to voice her concerns.

_"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Solaria told the MHC. "Tonight, during my monster hunting time, I made a catastrophic discovery." She reached into the drawer she was standing behind and pulled out some papers, papers that displayed artwork of the toxic waste. "It appears we have a problem on our hands. I discovered this grayish-black toxic waste seeping into our water supplies and our Mewman homes. From what I could gather, this waste has a severe adverse effect on Mewman and monster kind, and it poisons our water and food supply. I consider this to be an emergency that requires drastic action immediately. I'm open to suggestions."_

_"Hold on there, let's not get all bent out of shape here." Hekapoo said quickly. "I mean, you said it yourself. This waste has an effect on monster kind too."_

_"Now that you mention it, I **have** heard that monster sightings within Mewni have dropped significantly over the last few weeks." Omnitraxus added._

_"Yeah, so whatever this waste stuff is doing, it's obviously doing something right. So is there **really** a need for this huffy tantrum?"_

_Solaria's jaw nearly dropped. In frustration, she reached into the drawer again and pulled out more papers, this time depicting the mutated Mewmans that were affected by the waste. "You tell me. If **this** is the end result - innocent Mewmans being harmed by this waste - is it really worth it?"_

_Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus observed the photos for a moment before Hekapoo scoffed. "Okay, obviously there's an explanation as to why this is happening."_

_"Is that so? Well do you have one?"_

_"Um, no, but obviously these guys aren't pure _**_Mewmans_**_ if they can be so easily twisted around like this." She, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus stood up and started to leave. "Face it, Queen Solaria. You're overreacting over nothing." They all let out a soft laugh as they exited the room, leaving Solaria in a fiery rage._

The clip ended for the time being and Mina was visibly conflicted. "I...don't...understand. They...they know about this?"

Solaria nodded slowly.

"And...they haven't done anything about it?" This time Solaria shook her head. "How? Why? We're supposed to protect Mewman kind. It's the monsters that are the..." Her voice trailed off as her brain continued to sputter. "Wait a minute...are they...are they responsible for-"

Solaria did not directly answer. She remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "I don't believe they deserve any benefit of the doubt, here."

Mina's jaw body dropped. She fell to her knees in disbelief. "We...we _serve_ our fellow Mewmans. We protect them from the monster kind. It's our duty. I don't understand how...it's one thing to use this as a weapon on the monsters, but how can they still do it when it's doing _this_ to the innocents?" She looked back at her deceased crow, then back at Solaria. "_Do_ they know about it? What it's doing to the innocents?" Solaria very quietly nodded. "And they _still_ use it?" Another quiet nod. By now, Mina had gone from shocked to downright pissed. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as tight as they could go. "If this is their idea of a _joke_, then I'm not laughing! They've betrayed every oath they've ever taken to defend Mewman kind!"

Solaria walked over to her soldier and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Mina...there's more that you need to know."

Mina looked at her beloved queen. "What more do I need to know? What if this waste also has something to do with whatever happened to Mewni. We have to figure out how the heck we get it back to normal!"

"But dear...it _is_ back to normal." Again, a cocked head of confusion from Mina. Solaria used the recording spell again to show her the truth. "I dedicated myself to finding where they stored this waste, and when I found it, I tried to use the Whispering Spell to destroy it. But I was ambushed. I can only assume the Magic High Commission discovered my plot and sent cronies out to stop me. I panicked, and as a result..." The playback showed Solaria using her "Suicide Spell" and exploding into a massive ball of magical energy. The playback also showed the explosion causing Earth Mewni to be ripped apart into two separate dimensions. Even more dismay from Mina.

"This isn't a trick?" She asked; Solaria shook her head. "I was told you died in a monster ambush."

"That's the lie I asked Glossaryck and the family to instill. You see," She knelled down gently and took Mina down with her. "The Suicide Spell didn't _kill_ me, at least not how you understand that to be. My physical body was converted to magical energy that sprinkled across the Realm of Magic in a way that, if the magic ever got destroyed, I would re-spawn."

"That makes no sense, you weren't _trying_ to destroy all the magic."

"Oh, of course. But I _did _damage the Realm of Magic. My spell was so powerful it caused all the magic in Mewni to - how should I put this? - _malfunction_, for a time. And I guess when Princess Star succeeded in destroying all the magic, it was enough for me to come back."

"To finish what you started."

"Exactly. I always knew that would be the case, I just didn't realize _what_ exactly I started that I needed to finish." Solaria stood up and began to pace around, but she stopped when she realized Mina had remained knelling. The sullen Solarian warrior looked up at her mentor.

"Queen Solaria...I've hunted so many monsters in my life...what if one of them was just an innocent Mewman that was ravaged by this stuff? I'm merciless. I learned that from you. What if...what if it-"

"Mina-" Solaria went back to her protege and took her shoulders, standing her up stroking her hair. "You've been an admirable Solarian warrior, and you've done more for the cause than anyone I could've asked for."

Mina looked at her feet. "It's been really lonely here. I've been the last surviving Solarian warrior before Moon restarted the program. Even then it's never been the same. And my new army and I just spent 600 years training endlessly for battle."

"600 Earth years? Oh no, wait, you probably went to the Neverzone. Right, sorry. Time dilation. It's hard to keep track of so many dimensions."

Mina could not bring herself to look at Solaria. "I don't know if I want to keep going anymore. It's painful."

"Having this Solarian power to burden you?"

She finally lifted her head and gazed at her mentor. "No...being alone." Mina looked back at her fallen crow again. "Sebastian was my only companion. He was the only one that didn't succumb to the yada yada berries. And when all of the other Solarian soldiers died out...he was still here. But now he's gone, and now I'm truly alone. But I can't abandon my post. Or my duties. I couldn't live with myself. I don't know what to do."

Solaria continued stroking Mina's hair. "I consider the Solarian program to be my proudest accomplishment. But if I had to do it again, it would never come to fruition." She now stood up and dusted herself off. Mina followed her closely after.

"What becomes of everything now?"

She took her shoulder again. "Mina, you and I don't have a place in this new world. We've made many mistakes and we can't take any of it back. But we _can_ still right at least some of the wrongs we've committed. As Butterfly is my witness, I will expose the Magic High Commission for the traitors they are if it's the last thing I do! Would you like to help me?"

Mina's eyes lit up as she looked at Solaria, absolutely gobsmacked. "Me? You...you mean it?"

"You _are_ the best Solarian warrior I've ever created, and I only want the best to fight by my side. I'll have your back every step of the way, you won't have to worry."

Mina smiled, but then frowned. "What will happen to us afterwards?"

Solaria looked away and hesitated. "I...wish I could tell you. I'm not certain."

Tears started to form in Mina's eyes. "Will it hurt?"

"I can only hope not."

Mina started to step away from Solaria, only to step forward again towards her. "A Solarian warrior is supposed to have no fear. But..."

Solaria wiped some of Mina's tears away. "Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit that you're afraid." Mina smiled warmly. "Mina, I would be honored to have you follow me into this last battle."

Mina looked around her, standing in awe of the mounds of toxic waste surrounding her. She then looked back at her fallen crow, waste bubbling from its mouth. She sniffed back tears and looked back at Solaria. After a brief hesitation, she saluted her. "Your wish is my command, Queen Solaria." She stood there frozen saluting for a long moment. She struggled to hold back her tears, and eventually her resolve gave out and she ambushed Solaria for a hug. Despite her surprise, Solaria returned it without hesitation. They parted and Solaria began walking back the way she came. Mina started to follow but then stopped and looked back at her crow again. Her gaze wouldn't leave the fallen comrade.

Solaria realized that Mina was not following her and looked back to see what was happening. She realized Mina's heart was still aching over the crow. Without hesitation, Solaria turned around and returned to the bird. She took out from her pockets a large, thick towel and carefully wrapped the bird in the towel, successfully avoiding dripping any waste on either of them. "Let's give this little one a proper burial." She said like she was more than happy to do so. And she was.

* * *

They found their way out of the back of the castle into the garden, and with their combined magical power, managed to dig a grave for the crow. They slowly placed the crow in the hole and covered it back up with dirt. Mina found a nearby rock and used it as a tombstone, writing out Sebastian's name and placing it at the edge of the grave. "Would you like to say a few words?" Solaria asked Mina. Mina nodded and cleared her throat.

"Um, here lies Sebastian the Crow." Mina hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Solaria said nothing, giving her all the time she needed. "He was a noble bird. He was a remarkable ally on every Solarian mission he went on. He never refused any assignment no matter how difficult. And...he made living every day a little less lonely." She took off her helmet and held it at her heart as she and Solaria shared a moment of silence. Tears rolled down Mina's face, but the sadness slowly gave way to rising anger & fury. It reached a boiling point as she took her helmet and angrily threw it at the tombstone, nearly hitting it. Panting, she walked over to it and picked her helmet back up.

"Did that help?"

Mina took a deep breath before turning to face Solaria again. "Yeah, it did." She clenched her fists and took a fighting pose. "Let's go take down some traitors."

**End of Part 7.**

**So this chapter is a bit shorter than the rest and I apologize for that, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.**

**Please read & Review. Reviews would be great appreciated.**


	8. Burdens Lifted

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 8: Burdens Lifted**

**Original Postdate: August 10, 2019**

* * *

In the hospital wing of the Butterfly Castle, Angie had just finished wrapping Star's hands and arms with bandages. She was successfully able to remove the broken pieces of glass from her hands & arms, spray peroxide on the wounds, and wrap them in tight-fitting bandages that still allowed her use of her fingers. An exhausted Star was lying on her side on one of the beds. Her eyes were bloodshoot and sunken with dark bags under both of them, her skin had gone pale, her breathing was shallow, and her vision was blurred beyond previous measurement. At this point in time, it was only a couple of hours if that until sunrise, which means it would be close to the time for Glossaryck to be able to finish the all encompassing antidote.

"And...done." Angie said softly. "You did quite a number on your hands and arms, but I think I got it all." She helped Star sit up. The poor girl was exhausted and struggling to help herself. She looked at Angie and waited until her vision aligned to speak up.

"Thanks, Mrs. Diaz." She said hoarsely. She tried putting on a fake smile but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Angie placed a comforting hand on Star's shoulder and smiled.

"Call me Angie."

Those three words were plenty to get Star to smile, as with whatever strength she had left she lunged in to hug her tightly. Angie didn't hesitate to reciprocate. "Thank you...Angie..._mom_." She whispered that last word so quietly Angie missed it, but Star liked to pretend that she did, and even if she didn't, it didn't matter.

"You rest now." Angie stood up and walked out of the hospital room, meeting everyone else waiting outside.

"How does it look?" Marco asked, fighting to not cry.

"I cleaned up her wounds, pulled out all the glass, and bandaged her hands and arms, so she'll be fine there. But I'm worried about her."

"What do you mean?"

"She's obviously...fractured, emotionally. Not to mention her declining health..."

"I've never seen her get so angry before. It legitimately scared me." Marco wiped a tear from his eye. "Can we go console her?"

"Of course, but I'd recommend only one or two at a time."

The group all turned to each other exchanging looks, unable to decide who should go first. Eventually they decided to just put Tom up first essentially by default.

Tom knocked quietly on the door three times before opening it himself and tiptoeing in. "Hey, guess who...?" He said softly, which drew a faint smile from Star.

"Tom..." Star put her arms out for a hug, which Tom happily obliged. But when he tried to pull out of the hug, she resisted. Hard. "Stay..."

"Oh, okay, sure." He kept his grip on her. Star started to have tears fall from her eyes, refusing to even fight the urge to cry anymore. When he felt them falling on his shirt, he pulled back. "Star, are you okay?"

Star looked at the ground, and then back at Tom. Once her vision straightened, she shook her head lightly.

"What's wrong? What are you feeling?"

A long moment passed with no response. It wasn't as if Star didn't hear him. She did. She just didn't have an answer, until she did. "...hopeless."

"Hopeless? Why?"

Star adjusted her seat and screamed in pain doing so, clutching her chest again. "Why? B...Because I'm a screw up, that's why."

Her answer took Tom by shock, leaving him temporarily speechless. "...what did you say?"

"I said I'm a screw up!" She came as close to shouting as she could before sulking back into the bed and almost fainting.

"Who said that? I-If you're upset about those Magical jerkfaces said, don't be. Their opinion doesn't matter. They're _wrong_."

She closed her eyes to fight back physical pain, then opened them to face Tom, though she couldn't get her vision to straighten. "I'm not talking about them, Tom. I'm talking about _me_. Look what's happened...I tried to right the wrongs of my family and give Eclipsa what the MHC stole from her, and all it did was cause them to despise her and plot her demise from the throne. I tried to be a good princess for my kingdom when I wasn't even a princess anymore...and it _still_ blew up in my face. All of that hard work and it meant absolutely nothing, because I'd end up taking away her chance at the throne anyway by destroying all the magic..." Her breathing became shallow as her voice raised and her anger rose again. "And then I completely screwed things up with you by stringing you along like an idiot. A-And then I abandoned you in the Realm of Magic..." She started to cry again. "A-And then my mom betrayed Eclipsa because she didn't trust her, but then Mina screwed her over, a-a-"

"Star." Tom put his hands right on her shoulders and stopped her. He brought her into another hug. "Stop. All of that is in the past." He stroked her hair and tried to sooth her, but all it did was make her cry harder.

"No it's not." She said through his muffled shirt. "Because who knows how many lives I've upended by cleaving Earth and Mewni? All because I loved Marco too much to let him go. And it didn't even destroy the magic, it just put it somewhere else, and now everyone's going to suffer because of me, and then I couldn't even control my anger and I screwed up my hands and I'm dying. Tom I'm dying and I'm scared! I'm scared because...because I know I deserve it!"

Tom didn't say a word. He just held her. He held her as she cried her heart out and begged for forgiveness, even though her transgression had long since forgiven. This was the sign of a girl who had held on to a lot of trauma and stress, and bottled it all up inside. Having grown up in a world and in a family where stepping out of line even a fraction was deemed "acting out" and thus inappropriate, this was merely an inevitable outcome. How could you argue against someone who genuinely didn't feel they deserved any good will?

Star eventually started to finally calm down and soften her crying. He continued to stroke her hair and even kissed her on the cheek to console her. She continued apologizing unnecessarily. Eventually she pulled out of the hug entirely and just stared silently at her feet. "I'm sorry...about all of this...about me..."

"Star, this isn't the real you. I _know_ this isn't the real you." He said calmly. "You've been put through the ringer the past year, especially the past few days. And you really haven't had much time to rest. But you're wrong. You _don't_ deserve this, and you don't deserve to die." She looked at him and wiped tears from her eyes. "What you deserve is the chance to just get the hell away from all this and crash for a while."

She coughed up a little more blood and panted. "Yeah...you're right. M-Marco and I promised we'd go on a getaway when this was all over. No interruptions, no chaos...just me and him being silly and cute with each other for two weeks."

Tom smiled. "I hope you have a good time on it."

Star nodded calmly. "Me too." He leaned in for one more hug with her before standing up to leave. "Tom...thank you...and I'm sorry..."

He gave a shy smile before turning his head, frowning, and walking out. Next in was Moon & River. Moon in particular was nervous about seeing her daughter. The girl lifted her head slightly and smiled upon seeing her parents...before lowering her head and frowning. The two distraught parents did not hesitate to approach her and hug her with all their might. "How's my little angel?" River finally said after a long silence.

"...I've been worse, I guess." She hesitated.

"Star, sweetheart...it's alright. You don't have to hide anything. Whatever you're feeling...just let it out." Moon assured her. Star took a deep breath and waited for her vision to align before speaking again.

"Mom...Dad...I'm sorry I was such an awful princess." She said plainly. "I'm sorry that I frequently embarrassed the family name by screwing everything up. I'm sorry I turned over the throne to Eclipsa when you were missing without consulting you...I'm sorry I completely screwed up both worlds, and worst of all...I'm sorry for liking Marco's parents better than you." Of all the things Star listed off in that tangent, the last one was the only one that did _not_ confuse the parents. Moon leaned in for another hug with Star.

"Oh Star...I think you're starting to babble, because not one thing you said was correct."

"Well, that last part was, but-" River was elbowed by his loving wife and immediately shut his mouth.

"I rode you very hard about being a proper princess. About...being like me. And although you never quite turned out like that, you became a wonderful ambassador for Mewni, and a tremendous princess in your own right. A better princess than I ever gave you credit for." Moon's words got Star to smile, albeit with tears. "I might not have agreed with your decision to turn the throne to Eclipsa, but...I understand why _you_ thought it was a good idea. You thought you were righting the wrongs of the Magic High Commission, but that never should have been your burden to carry. And it never should have been your burden to help her transition into a proper queen." Star's smile got wider and the tears started falling. "I just feel awful that you were robbed of your opportunity to ascend the throne."

"Don't, Mom. To be honest, it was kind of a relief when I realized I would never have to be queen..." She yelped in pain again and had to clutch her chest, combined with shuttering breathing. "...I knew I could never follow in your steps or measure up to you, and honestly, I was acting queen for like a day and by the end of it I wanted to sleep for a month. I don't know how you did it for so long..."

"I disagree. You would've made a tremendous queen. But at least you can take solace in being Marco's queen."

"Marco's...?" Star looked at the door and was able to see a concerned Marco pacing outside.

"He's a wonderful young man, and I know he loves you dearly."

"Plus I've never laughed so much as I have talking with his folks. I can see why you like them so." River commented, which even Moon couldn't deny. Star looked away and blushed in embarrassment, while also coughing up yet more blood.

"I'm not proud of that, it's just...I guess I just loved how they weren't so hard on me for perfection. They're so chill and awesome and it was a nice change of pace."

Moon sighed, but then smiled. "Well they certainly did a nice job raising that young man."

"He's very lucky." River added.

Star blushed madly and wiped a tear away. "No, Dad, _I'm_ the lucky one."

Moon and River proceeded to stand and prepare to leave. "We should leave. You need to to rest." She hugged her daughter.

"Mom...I'm sorry..."

Moon pulled away for a moment and wiped a tear from her daughter's eye. "No more apologies, dear. You don't owe anybody an apology. And you don't need to hold in any emotions you have. I know it's not healthy to do that. I only wish I didn't pass it down to you and instill it in you for so long." She kissed her forehead and headed for the door. River hugged his daughter tightly before following his wife.

Up next to visit were Eclipsa & Globgor, along with baby Meteora. Star was happy to see the three of them. "Hey."

"Hello dear." Eclipsa hugged her. "Tsk tsk tsk, poor dear you look like death."

"I _feel_ like it."

"How you holding up, kid?" Globgor asked.

"I guess I've been worse. I really don't feel like waking up tomorrow..."

"Keep your chin up, sweetheart. You're going to pull through this." Eclipsa said optimistically.

"Yeah I know I'm _going_ to, I just don't know...if I deserve to..." Star coughed violently again and coughed up a little more blood.

"I can't think of anyone more deserving to pull through this with themselves intact." Globgor insisted. "You've been such a rock for all of us these past few months."

"Globby's right, dear."

"Is he, though? Why would the person that ruined your shot to reclaim the throne that was stolen from you deserve to pull through this in one piece?"

"...you mean Moon? Sweetheart, that w-"

"No! I mean me!" Star shouted, which resulted in her getting dizzy and lying back down on the bed. "_I'm_ the one that destroyed the magic. Even _if_ my mom was the one that tried to steal the throne back from you, you would've probably gotten it back had I not destroyed the magic." She sighed. "I ruined your one chance to claim what was rightfully yours."

Globgor and Eclipsa exchanged looks with each other while Meteora started whining to get onto the bed with Star. Eclipsa picked the baby up and put her on the bed next to Star. She responded by immediately trying to hug Star. "Star, honey, you have nothing to be sorry for. It was in everyone's best interest that the age of magic end. And you gave me everything you could possibly give to help me be the best queen I could be for the brief time I had the crown."

"You mean...you're not upset with me?" Star asked as she hugged Meteora back.

"Ludicrous. If anything, we never properly thanked you for your tireless service to your kingdom. We should rectify that as soon as this nonsense is finally over."

"Oh no no no, that's okay..." She tried to wave her arms frantically but it only resulted in increased pain and a stabbing pain in her chest. "Please, no parties. I don't deserve any of that."

"Ridiculous." Globgor insisted as he picked up Meteora off the bed and coo'ed her. "You were the only one willing to help us at first. It's the _least_ we could do."

Star sighed, resigned to the fact that this was one argument she was not going to win. "If you're gonna do it, can you at least not go overboard and keep it simple, please?"

"Fair enough, dear." Eclipsa hugged Star once more as she and Globgor prepared to leave. "Don't forget, we all love you." She said as they departed the room. Star wiped a tear from her eye as Jackie & Janna were the next two to enter. Jackie was carrying in a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

"Hey..." She said happily but hoarsely.

"Hey girl," Janna said positively but the concern was palpable in her voice.

"I brought you something." Jackie said, setting the plate on the bed by Star's feet. "It's a family recipe, for Double chocolate chip cookies."

"Ooh, that sounds delicious." Star admitted. She tried to sit up on her own but had to be helped by Jackie & Janna. Jackie handed Star a cookie and she hesitantly took a bite. Her eyes & face immediately lit up. "Oh my gosh that's _incredible!_"

"That's nothing: we also have a family recipe for a deluxe strawberry cheese cake."

"Omigosh that sounds like heaven."

"You know it." The three girls all shared a laugh with each other. It was the happiest Star had felt since having her hands bandaged up, but it didn't last long. Her laughter soon died down and was replaced with a solemn, soulless look in her eyes. "What's wrong, Star?"

She looked up at Jackie. "Oh, um...nothing, I guess."

"Something bothering you?"

Star sighed loudly. "Yeah, but it's not what you think." She paused and hesitated. Again she couldn't even look her in the eye. "Jackie...I want to say I'm sorry."

Jackie was about to take a bite out of one of her own cookies when Star spoke those words, which left her absolutely baffled. "Sorry? For...what exactly?"

"For..." She looked down at the ground and her breathing slowed again. "...for Marco." Was her response. Jackie was still confused. "You know...for..."

"Oh my gosh, stop it girl."

"Well what would _you_ call it?" Star said in a raised voice. Again she fought back tears. She had never given the circumstances of Star's buried jealous of Marco & Jackie, or their break up, much thought until very recently, as in right after she landed in the hospital for shattering a mirror with her fists. "I pushed Marco to ask you out. I wanted to see him be brave and get everything in life that he wanted, how could I turn around and be jealous of you guys?" Jackie's eyes opened slightly hearing all of this. As for Janna, she snacked on the cookies, always enjoying a little drama. "And then I just had to open my mouth and tell him I had a crush on him just as I had to leave to fulfill my princess duties...and in front of you, of all people. Oh gosh, _I'm _the reason you guys broke up, aren't I?" Star buried her head in her hands and was losing the fight not to sob.

Janna, sensing a potential meltdown, excused herself from the room. Jackie moved the plate of cookies away from Star's feet and sat down right next to her. "Hey, hey, hey, look at me." Star lifted her head slightly out of her hands and looked at Jackie. "Where is this coming from anyway?"

She sniffed back some tears and wearily rested her head on Jackie's shoulder. "I never told anyone this stuff. W-When you asked Marco to the school dance, it was the first time that I...I realized I had feelings for him. H-He looked so handsome in his little suit, a-and it was like watching your kid grow in front of you. But then it set in that...he wasn't getting dressed up for _me._ A-And then we went to that Love Sentence concert, and I hated the fact that he was kissing you, and...not me..." She groaned and covered her eyes in shame. "You must hate me, don't you?"

Jackie said nothing. She petted Star's head softly and smiled before giving way to a laugh. "Oh Star...you're going through what every normal teenager goes through, where your mind becomes your own worst enemy."

Star lifted her head slowly off Jackie's shoulder and looked at her, her vision aligning slowly. "What does that mean?"

"Okay, don't ever tell Marco I said this, but...I was always secretly rooting for you guys to get together. You bounced off each other better than he and I ever could've. And...sure it was a bummer I guess that he and I didn't work out, but it's not like I'm ruined about it or anything."

"You're not?"

"Marco's awesome and all but we just were never the right match for each other. I got to learn a lot about myself when I went to France. I got to realize that I just wanted - needed - different things that I don't think I would've gotten with Marco. That's not to say that it was his fault in any way, it's just...sometimes what we want isn't the same as what we need. And I think that still would've been the case even if you hadn't come along."

Star chuckled sheepishly. "I guess. It's just...it's not fun to feel like you're nothing but a screw up that makes things worse when all you do is try your damnedest to do right and it blows up in your face."

"That's life in a nutshell for you. You gotta find the silver linings and grab onto them and never let them go."

"I guess."

"And hey, you found yours."

Star smiled and blushed. "I know. I'm just...I just feel lousy about how everything played out, and I wanted to get it off my chest, in case..." She clutched her chest again, wincing in pain.

"Hey." She grabbed her cheek and turned her attention to her eyes. "Don't you dare think like that. You guys have been through worse. Besides, who else am I going to teach skateboarding to?" They shared a laugh together. Star's spirits were visibly lifted now compared to when she first woke up in the bed. Jackie stood up, took a couple of cookies from the plate before departing the room. Star was now sitting up in a much better emotional state than before, though physically she was still a mess. The last to enter was Marco, who stood at the doorway for the longest time looking at Star. Both of them had tears forming.

He walked slowly over towards Star and didn't hesitate to hug her when he arrive. Despite his weakened state, he managed to pick her up off the bed and carry her in her arms, which drew a massive smile from Star. They shared a loving kiss with each other. "How ya feeling?"

Star sighed and buried her head in his chest. "I hurt."

He kissed her forehead. "I know." He put her down on the bed and sat down next to her. "You really scared me, Star."

She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "I guess I was just holding so much in that...that it needed to come out. I didn't plan for it to happen this way, it just...did." She sighed. "Marco...why do our brains like to make us think we're garbage?"

The boy shrugged and gave her another kiss. "I wish I had an answer. It just...it comes with being a teenager."

"Well I hate it."

"So do I. And Star...if I ever do or say anything that makes you upset or offends you, promise that you'll tell me and not keep me guessing? If I screw up I want to fix it, not walk on egg shells."

Star gently grabbed his face and pulled him in for a kiss. "Of course. But I'd probably tell you anyway because...unlike Hekapoo or any of those Magic High people, I actually _care_ about you. And I know you wouldn't hurt me. On purpose, at least." She winced again, her heart giving her more problems.

"I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I hurt you. Or...if you hurt yourself."

He looked at her, but she couldn't look at him. "I go on about wanting to be independent and take care of myself, and then there's days like today where I just want to crawl up into a ball and be carried everywhere. Is that sad?"

Marco smiled and caressed her hair. "No, it's not. Sometimes we all feel that way. And I wouldn't have a problem acquiescing you if that's what you wanted."

"Yeah I know, but that's why I don't want to ask."

"It's okay to want to be spoiled every now and then. Heck, right now I think if anyone deserved it most, it's you, considering the year and change you've had."

She kissed Marco's cheek. "I guess. But...I really don't need to be spoiled. All I need - all I want - is you and me and our getaway. Two long weeks of nothing but the two of us having the time of our lives together and chilling like it's nobody's business."

They both smiled and shared a kiss. "You know, we could spend the whole two weeks riding every roller coaster in the world, or we could spend it snuggling with each other & sleeping. It doesn't matter to me as long as I'm doing it with you."

Star's sunken eyes light up and a giant smile crept onto her face. She kissed him again, this time much more passionately. "You know, spending two weeks sleeping doesn't sound like such a bad idea." They laughed together and shared another hug. For the longest time, neither of them said anything. Star's spirits were almost fully lifted again, even if her body and health were continuing to decay. "...can't promise I won't snore like a chainsaw, though."

Marco chuckled. "Fine by me." He responded, with a completely straight face.

Which took Star totally by surprise. "Wait...what was that-"

"Star, come on, we've spent over a year sleeping either a room apart or in bunk beds either at my house or your castle. The walls on both aren't exactly thin. If I wanted to complain about it, don't you think I would've done it on like Day 1?"

Immediately Marco looked away in embarrassment, his face bright red. Star ran Marco's words back through her head before coming to the realization of exactly what he had just said. Needless to say, she was flattered...and very confused. "R-Really?"

"Yeah, I-I don't have an explanation for it nor really a defense, I'm just...that's what it is."

"I mean, you do you. Not that I'm not flattered..." Now she was bright red. "It's just, that's the last thing I ever would've expected to be a turn on. Then again, I thought our kiss in the piggoat shed was pretty hot, so maybe I'm not one to talk?"

"No, girl, you're definitely not one to talk." Came the voice of Janna standing close to their bed. She, Jackie, and Tom were standing there, having heard most of their conversation. The parents were standing farther back, closer to the door. Upon hearing Janna's voice, Star screamed and nearly leaped into Marco's lap.

"Janna! Jeez, do you ever knock? How much of that did you guys hear?"

"We heard enough." Janna flirtatiously smirked.

Star groaned and buried her head in her hands, but only briefly kept their there before deciding to reemerge. "No, you know what? Screw that. I'm not gonna be ashamed of this. Okay, so Marco and I have physical feelings for each other. There is _nothing_ wrong with that." She summoned up enough strength to stand up straight. "For crying out loud, I'm Star 'Bubble-Butt' Butterfly, and I am _done_ being afraid of owning it!" About halfway through her rant, Marco's eyes went super wide, realizing exactly what she had said. His face went brighter red than it had ever been. "That kiss in the pig shed woke something up in me that I didn't even realize but like heck if I'm running from it anymore. I am_ honored_ that Marco sees me as this beautiful, attractive girl that is way more than just a pretty face. He saw it in me way before I ever saw it in myself." She walked over to Marco, firmly kissing and hugging him before turning herself back to the others. Marco's arm was wrapped around her shoulder, but while he wasn't paying attention to her, she was able to maneuver his arm and hand so that it was solidly placed on her rear end. "This firm tush belongs to _him _and him alone!" She smiled triumphantly and stayed there a moment. Marco finally came to and realized what had happened and where his hand ended up, and had gone completely red, though not entirely out of embarrassment. Eventually it hit her exactly what she just said, and she realized just how red Marco's face had gone. "ohhhh boy..."

Marco's facial expression was a mixture of holding back hysterical laughter and blushing embarrassment. "I didn't realize just how much you liked that name." He squeaked out. "Or...how much you really wanted _this_."

"Sorry, I went completely loco again."

"No, you know what...this is okay. I...I can work with this." They both kept blushing.

"I...have...so many questions." Was all Tom could say.

"I have only one." Janna interrupted. "So you knew what _Bubble-Butt_ meant, but not _Thunder Thighs?_ Those terms are practically cousins. What's up with that?"

"Really? _THAT'S_ the question you go with."

"You know what? It's not important." Star interrupted. "The point is, we're here now and this feels incredible. At least for me..."

"Me too!" Marco said quickly before again going completely red. Star turned to him and smiled.

"Well that's good, Mr. Diaz. And just think, as soon as this is over, we can have our two week getaway, and you can have _this_-" She thrusted her hips ever so slightly in his direction. "As much as you want."

"_Assuming you even live that long."_

A familiar, annoying, booming voice entered the room, immediately drawing everyone's attention to the door. Standing in the doorway? None other than Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus. And none of them looked particularly happy.

**End of Part 8.**

**As always, please read & review! Reviews greatly appreciated. :)**


	9. Lies Exposed

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 9: Lies Exposed**

**Original Postdate: August 11, 2019**

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Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus stood at the doorway with imposing authority, their arms crossed and Hekapoo specifically with a scowl. The adults all moved towards the children in an attempt to act as their line of defense should the MHC try anything. "Gotta say, this is a sorry sight." Hekapoo spoke.

"Why are you three here?" Moon immediately interjected.

"We wanted to see how deep in the hole we were now that we're basically out of magic thanks to Star's busted hands."

"Um, excuse me? _I_ can still do magic." Marco pointed out annoyingly. Hekapoo rolled her eyes.

"And you've had these powers for barely a day." Omnitraxus pointed out. "You're hardly polished."

"And _you're_ hardly in a position to criticize." Star chimed in. Both Star and Marco were using each other to hold themselves up by this point. "Especially since the predicament we're in is entirely _your fault!_"

The MHC's eyes all went bug-eyed. Star had laid the gauntlet down. "And how is it _our_ fault, Miss Spoiled Pampered _Princess_?" Rhombulous seethed.

"You just can't help yourselves when it comes to hating monsters, can you? You people are so deadset in eliminating monster kind that you'll do anything to accomplish your goal, no matter who has to get hurt in the process."

"We've been over this, _Butterfly._ The dangers that monster king impose on Mewmans - nevermind with the magic - are too great to let slide."

"Oh? So you think think this is okay?" Star tried lifting her left arm up. The pain was unbearable, but she somehow managed to pull it up, holding her hand out towards the ground. Despite the bandages, she was able to conjure up the Recording Spell, blasting it towards the floor, a fear which utterly shocked the Magic High Commission. The spell began playing back footage that she and Marco had collected showing the various landmarks around Earth Mewni that had become infested with thick black toxic waste. The footage consisted of the various Mewmans who had tragically come into contact with the waste being horribly and violently mutated into horrific-looking monsters. There was also footage of actual monsters being severely wounded & sickened thanks to the effects of the waste but the majority of the footage featured Mewmans or humans.

The MHC's shock was evident, and they made poor attempts to hide their dismay. "Are you suggesting that we're responsible for _that_?" Omnitraxus bellowed. "Ludicrous!"

"Sure, it _seems_ ludicrous. But then how do you explain _this_?" She re-shot the Recording Spell. This time it was footage of the three MHC members observing several places in the world of Earth Mewni and investigating the toxic waste themselves. At every location they visit, they do nothing but confirm that, yes, toxic waste is indeed present at the site and then move on to the next one. Each clip played only further infuriated everyone in the room, all for different reasons: the MHC for the fact that their activity was so brazenly caught on film, and everyone else for the fact that the MHC had the nerve to continue feigning ignorance and attitude.

"Um, we were doing our _job_." Hekapoo commented, clearly annoyed and failing at trying to hide her guilt. "If we don't go visit the places with waste, how will we be able to formulate a plan to combat it, if it really _is_ as dangerous as you all say it is."

Star scoffed. "You know, I _could_ accept that as your rebuttal...except for one thing: how could the people that _created this stuff_ not understand how to stop or destroy it?"

"Well gee, I don't know. Why don't you ask the people that made it?"

"_We are."_ Came a voice seemingly out of nowhere. Then, as if by magic - no pun intended - Glossaryck appeared through a cloud of smoke into the room, facing the Magic High Commission, and he was not a happy camper.

"And what do we owe _this_ interruption to, Glossaryck?" Bellowed Omnitraxus.

"Yeah, we're kind of in the middle of something important." Rhombulous added.

"Oh yes, I see, you're quite knee deep in the process of committing political suicide." Was Glossaryck's rebuttal, which caused a snort-laugh from Star. "I would advise you to think very carefully before giving another answer. Yes or no: are you three responsible for the creation of this repulsive toxic waste that is currently wrecking havoc on not just monsters, but mewman and human kind in our cleaved world?"

Hekapoo rolled her eyes. "No."

"_That...IS...**A LIE.**_" Bellowed yet another voice, one which took literally everyone in the room by surprise. Glossaryck reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a tiny cube. The tiny cube magically expanded to four times that size, and once it was done growing, a single, diamond-shaped eye formed on the front of the cube. Lo and behold, it was the mystical Box of Truth, in the flesh.

"What the-"

"I told you to think carefully before answering. That's what happens when you don't heed my advice."

"Not the Box of Truth again!" Rhombulous yelled.

"I thought we were done with this nonsense." Omnitraxus added.

"Oh I'm sorry, since when is deciphering the truth of a critical matter in our world's history "nonsense?" Glossaryck fired back. "Let's ignore for the moment who is or is not responsible for the creation of this waste. The reality at our footstep is there is a severe health crisis infecting our world that isn't selective about its victims. This stuff does not care whether you are a monster, a human, a mewman, animal, or whatever. Every single one of us is at risk for falling victim to its fatal effects, whether it be mutation or outright death. This is not a crisis we should be taking lightly, regardless of what you believe monsters do or don't deserve."

"Alright, Glossaryck, you've made your point."

"Yeah, we'll take this more seriously, I guess." Hekapoo nearly slurred that entire sentence, as if there wasn't already enough contempt emanating from her.

"What the other two said." Rhombulous chimed in.

"Well...if you're serious about that then perhaps you can answer some more questions I have without jerking me around." Glossaryck trucked ahead firmly, clearly sensing the contempt in their voices. "On the night that Queen Solaria convened the emergency Magic High Commission meeting to address the growing concerns of the toxic waste's effects on our people, did you already have prior knowledge or at least a suspicion of the devastating consequences that it posed on our people?" All three of them answered with varying "no's," "Did you claim that you would not investigate the emergence of this waste or act to clean it because it served the agenda of eliminating monster kind from Mewni?" Again, varying "no's" from the three of them. "Did you send magically-generated soldiers after Queen Solaria to stop her from destroying the stash of toxic waste that was stored in the Realm of Magic?" Once more, "no's" from all three. Glossaryck turned to the Box of Truth. "And the verdict?"

The Box of Truth began to seize uncontrollably as its magical eye turned dark red with a fiery aura surrounding it. "_**LIES!**__"_ Lighting bolts began to spark from its eyes. Before anyone could feasibly react, Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus found themselves surrounded in dark red lighting bolts and being electrocuted by them. They screamed at the top of their lungs, almost begging for mercy. Everyone else winced as they watched these three magical beings being rendered almost helpless by a simple magical box.

Star and Marco, in particular, were not handling it well. They pulled each other in as close as humanely possible while it was happening. Ironically, it was pulling each other closer that made them realize they were still in a somewhat intimate position with each other, which they had been holding non-stop since the MHC walked in. "Hey Marco, you know you don't have to keep your hand on my butt anymore if you don't want to."

"I know." He whispered. "But would it be a problem for you if I _wanted_ to keep it there?"

Star smiled and blushed hard. "Oh no, not at all." She kissed the boy. "But I am sorry about that. I got really caught up in the moment, and-"

"It's okay." He whispered happily. "I didn't realize just how much you wanted it, or how much you like it."

"I really do. I've _definitely_ had something change in me, let me tell ya. But I won't ever force you to like it, or at least like it at my pace. I have to let you get there at your pace-"

"Star I was pretty much already there, I just needed that little gentle push to get me over the hump, and I guess this was it." They both softly chuckled. "And I'm really happy you like the name I gave you. I was _not_ prepared for you to love it that much."

"Star Bubble-Butt Butterfly. It really rolls off the tongue. I'm gonna make a name tag and everything. And maybe another one for my back that says "Property of Marco Diaz."

"Oh merciful Butterfly, what have I done?" They shared another laugh before going silent for a moment. Star looked over at Marco and started to blush.

"Hey, Marco..."

Marco turned to Star. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to ask for something, but please don't feel like you have to say yes."

"Shoot."

"Okay..." Star darted her eyes quickly towards where Marco's hand was, took a deep breath, and looked back at him. "...Would you squeeze it?"

Marco's eyes went wide and he blushed. "Are you sure?" She nodded quietly. He smiled, and very carefully he began to squeeze the cheek his left hand was holding. Star's face lit up and went bright red, clearly entranced. "Is this okay?"

"It's _perfect._" She sighed contently, resting her head on his shoulder. "Confident, firm, yet gentle. Just like you."

Marco blushed and kissed her forehead. "Now who's coming out of their shell?"

"I don't know what was in the air in that pig goat shed, but ever since then I've been craving stuff like this. So tell me, Diaz...does it feel as nice as it looks?"

"Hmm, good question. I'd say it does. Although I would need a lot more than one test to properly draw a conclusion."

"You are too good to me, boy." They shared a giggle.

"You know, I'll be honest. When I imagined things going like this I always thought it'd be the other way around. You know, you squeezing _my_ tush, not wanting me to squeeze yours."

"I totally feel that, but there's something to being on the receiving end that's just giving me such a rush. Now I want it all the time. And I would not want anyone else to be the one squeezing it."

"Well I'm honored." They kissed passionately. Janna, who had been occasionally sneaking glances at Star & Marco's moment, shook her head.

"You guys seriously could not have waited until the room had cleared out?" She whispered to them.

"_Don't you judge me, Janna Banana!_" Star whispered back. Before Janna could rebuttal, their conversation was interrupted when the lightning surround the three MHC members broke off and sent them all flying into the walls.

"This process would go a lot more quickly and a lot less painfully if you just cooperated with us." Glossaryck boomed over their groans.

"This is ridiculous!" Omnitraxus shouted. "This poor excuse for a game is proving nothing and wasting valuable time." He began to try and go for the door, but the Box of Truth unleashed its power and put up a laser-tailored wall at the doorway. He still tried to go through it but was immediately electrocuted again upon touching it.

Glossaryck shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk. How depressing. The dramatic fall of the Magic High Commission. Done in by their own hubris."

Hekapoo dusted herself off and walked up to Glossaryck, angrier than ever. "You know what? If you're not gonna take our word for this, that's _your _problem, not ours. You and your stupid box."

Glossaryck raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so now you're saying the Box of _Truth_ is lying."

"Um, yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. Obviously when the magic was destroyed and then brought back in such a quick turnaround, magic doesn't work the same way it did before!"

"_That is...technically true."_ The Box bellowed. "_Though not nearly in the context **you** are inferring."_

"Oh be quiet, you plastic toy."

"Hekapoo, stop trying to deny the truth. We weren't born yesterday."

"Screw this! I am _DONE!_" Hekapoo yelled.

"Yeah, we're through playing this dumb game!" Rhombulous followed. "You're setting us up to look bad!"

"We've had just about enough of this malarkey!" Omnitraxus added.

"_The Box of Truth is not finished with **you**._" The box bellowed.

"I don't care what you yammer on about. We have nothing more to say to-" She turned to Glossaryck. "You and your stupid, pointy face!"

**_"Then say it to__ mine._**_"_

The voice that spoke that line startled Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus. They slowly - very slowly - turned to the source of the voice. It came from outside the laser wall the Box of Truth put up. It was none other than Solaria herself, holding several folders filled with papers. "Q-Q-Q-"

"Queen Solaria!" Rhombulous shouted with no prompting.

But she wasn't alone. Out from behind her stepped Mina, also holding a folder of papers.

"Mina?" Star questioned.

"Box of Truth, would you allow our new guests to pass through?" Glossaryck asked. The Box acquiesced; the lasers did not disappear but they were temporarily neutralized, allowing Solaria and Mina to pass through unharmed.

"Queen Solaria..." For the first time, Hekapoo was legitimately panicking. "I-I don't understand." She turned to Glossaryck. "If this is a trick, it's not funny!"

"I'm afraid it's no trick."

Solaria set all of her folders neatly on the ground. She opened the top one and took out a bunch of papers. She held them up in an angry manner, flipping through them one at a time. All of the papers she had on her at that moment were pictures of poor innocent Mewmans and humans who had been tragically mutated by the toxic waste. The last paper she showed off was of Albert, the loyal Solarian warrior that she nearly killed that fateful night. "I checked the archives. This admirable man was poisoned to death thanks to that waste. It's bad enough he mutated into the thing he was trained to despise. Then he had to die like one too."

Mina pulled out a sheet of paper herself - one that depicted her beloved crow - before _and_ after he was mutated - and held it up to Omnitraxus's face. "The only friend I had left in this world. The only bird that didn't succumb to the yada yada berries. He was a good bird. He will not be forgotten." She said with a quiver in her voice.

"So now we're just repeating ourselves, I see." Omnitraxus said.

"Oh, I think _this_ will peak your attention just fine." Solaria responded, digging through a different folder and pulled out another paper. This one had no pictures on it, but rather words. Word written in the format of a recipe. She passed the paper along to everyone else except for the MHC. The contents of the paper stunned everyone. Including Glossaryck. On this specific sheet of paper was a recipe...a recipe specifically concocted by the three MHC members to create the very toxic waste that was now decimating Earth Mewni and its innocents. The recipe called for Hekapoo's fire manipulation, Omnitraxus's space-time manipulation, and Rhombulous's crystallization abilities to be used on an ordinary water puddle, transforming it into a disgusting, vile puddle of blackish gray toxic waste that theoretically pose all harm to monster kind and no harm to Mewman and human kind. Hekapoo's fire abilities would give it its lethal, disease-ridden power, Omnitraxus's space-time power would manipulate the waste's make-up allowing it to forever grow and expand, and Rhombulous's crystallization power would make it almost completely indestructible to most magical spells. Because science. "Magical waste impervious to most magical counter spells...lethal enough to poison and kill monster _and_ mewman kind..."

What seemed on the surface as an innocent collection of words spurned something in Glossaryck's head. "And charmed by Solarian magic..."

"You took an oath to protect Mewman kind and instead you've thumbed your nose in their..." Solaria's voice trailed off as she looked over at Glossaryck. "What did you say?"

"It all finally makes sense now."

"What makes sense?"

"Why the magic wasn't destroyed. The Magic High Commission charmed this waste with Solarian magic to ensure it was impervious to methods of undoing magic." As if by magic (no pun intended), some toxic waste began to slowly seep in through the walls of the room. The sight of the waste behind Star & Marco startled them and forced them to step forward out of the way, departing from their intimate embrace, which also got a chuckle out of Janna.

"Twelve minutes, thirty-four seconds. Not bad, you two." She snickered, which once again got the two lovebirds to blush.

"Were you timing us?" Star whispered, clearly annoyed. "Why?"

"Because you guys are cute and I was bored."

Star looked over at Marco and whispered, "Diaz, remember that time because you are _totally_ going to crush it next time." They both shared a hearty laugh but after that she shook her head and got it back into the dilemma that was facing them down. "Glossaryck, wait!" She shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Something isn't adding up. If the waste not disappearing from existence was because it was charmed by Solarian magic...why did Mina's powers disappear when magic was supposedly destroyed?"

"That's just it, though. They _didn't_. Recall the portal that you described to me acting as the gateway between Earth and Mewni. It wasn't just a portal...it was a containment device for all the magic, and you and Marco touching the portal caused it to overload & explode, not only cleaving Earth & Mewni together as it once was, but spilling magic back into the world. And it's precisely because Solarian magic is far different from traditional Mewni magic, and as a result, they were unable to coexist in the same specter."

_So if we had coated Mina with our own powers, her original powers would have survived the destruction of the Realm of Magic._ Rhombulous thought to himself. Unfortunately, to the burden of the MHC, his thoughts became words. "THAT'S GENIUS! WHY DIDN'T WE DO THAT WITH MINA AND THE SOLARIAN WARRIORS?!"

And his insolence earned him a hard slap upside the head by Omnitraxus. "You loud-mouthed, bumbling moron!" He shouted, which got everyone to once again turn in the direction of the MHC. At last, they decided to drop the charade and go full blow hard. "Oh fine, so we _are_ responsible for creating this waste."

_"That's the first truthful statement to be spoken by these three."_ The Box chimed in.

"Thank you, Box of Truth, I don't think we'll be needing your services any longer." Glossaryck said deadpanned.

"_I would depart...but I want to see how deep they dig this hole of theirs."_

"It was the best weapon we've ever had against monster kind." Hekapoo added. "We didn't ever set out to hurt the Mewmans, but..." She scoffed. "Come on, people. If a few innocent Mewmans or animals perished along the way, is that really so bad? I mean, they'd be dying for the greater good, they would totally understand."

There was not a single jaw in the room that wasn't dropped to the ground. The masks were finally off. The curtains were finally down. No more punches pulled. Nobody in the room could muster up even a noise. That is...until Mina managed to walk up to them - completely calm but overflowing with righteous anger - and stare them down. "How dare you."

Hekapoo snorted. "Get a load of this, guys." She laughed in Mina's face. "I never expected _you_ of all people to turn into a monster smoocher."

Mina was completely unfazed, and kept her angry stare on them. "I'm not here to defend monsters. I'm here to destroy some _traitors_."

"I'd be careful with that wor-"

"You took an oath. _We_ took an oath. To defend Mewman kind from _any_ and _all_ threats to their livelihoods. And this is no exception. If you knew what this waste could do to them and you still chose to use it, you _are_ a traitor. I'd say hang your head in shame but you clearly haven't had any in years."

"You're one to talk."

"We inadvertently used innocent Mewmans as pawns in our quest to eradicate monster kind from our land once and for all." Omnitraxus lectured. "_You_ used your Solarian magic to brainwash innocent Mewman to act as pawns in _your_ quest to eradicate monster kind from our land. Exactly how is it different from what we did?"

"It's not." Mina said bluntly, and without hesitation, something which left everyone in the room - especially the Magic High Commission - gobsmacked. "I used the power bestowed on me to manipulate the masses and create an army so powerful the monsters would either all be assimilated for good, _or_ they would hightail it out of our dimension, never to return. I put their lives on the line every single time because _I_ believed in the cause. I _still_ believe in the cause, but I've sacrificed far too many innocent Mewmans to justify the fight. Even _one_ is too many." She looked down at the ground, fought back tears, took a deep breath, then regained her angry battle stare towards the MHC. "I can't go back and undo the choices I've made. I can't go back and save those soldiers from being dragged into a war they didn't ask for."

Solaria stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Mina's shoulders, all while angrily looking at the MHC. "But we _can_ stop the atrocities you're still committing _now._"

"And we'll begin by cleaning up that waste you've unleashed onto our world." Glossaryck interjected.

Rhombulous turned to Glossaryck. "And how are you going to do that? It's charmed with Solarian magic, _and_ our combined power."

"Then clearly you are not privy to the "All Encompassing Healing Spell."

"That sounds like something out of a fanfiction." Hekapoo said.

"Only usable once every 500 years, this healing spell can fix _anything_. We'll be using it to clean up every drop of waste you have contaminated our land with..." He turned to Star and Marco, who, despite getting back into their intimate position, were visibly struggling to stay standing. "...as well as heal those two children, who were struck terribly with a _Torture Spell_ yesterday."

Mina's face almost went pale hearing those words. She looked down at her own hands and started having the worst thoughts cycle through. _Did I..._

"Oh, so _that's_ why you guys look like death." Hekapoo commented. "I've been meaning to ask about that." Her smug jab at Star & Marco was followed by the faint noises of what sounded like an angry mob outside of the castle. Curiously, everyone turned their attention to the window. In the outskirts of the field just outside the castle came a gigantic angry mob being led by Buff Frog, his children, and Ludo. Chants of "Down with the MHC" could be heard in the distance. Early estimations of the crowd appeared to put the number of participants at approximately 20,000. And it wasn't just monsters, either. It was an almost even balance of monsters, Mewmans, _and_ humans, a fact that stunned everyone in the building. "What the f-"

"Word travels fast, I see." Solaria remarked coldly.

"Explain yourself! Now!" Rhombulous whined.

"I think the crowd speaks for itself."

Mina marched right past Solaria to stare the three MHC members right in the eye. "None of them are happy with you. You'll have to explain yourselves to them. The question is how are you gonna get down there? We can do this the easy way and escort you through the front door, or we can do this the _hard_ way and I can push you all through this window."

"Um-" Star interrupted. "If you're going to do that, could you open the window maybe? I busted both of my arms punching a mirror in a blind rage and I would _not_ wish that on my worst enemies."

Mina legitimately took that suggestion under consideration...before metaphorically tossing it out the window. "No can do, mud sister."

"We're not mud sister-"

"Half the fun of being a Solarian soldier is slow-tormenting your enemies and watching them suffer."

"Well that's not frightening in the slightest."

"You want us to submit?" Omnitraxus inched closer to Mina and leaned in angrily. "_Make us."_

Mina scowled, but then smugly smiled. "I was hoping you'd pick the hard way." Mina took a step back. Before anyone could react, Mina had begun powering up into her augmented form, catching the MHC off guard and grabbing them like twigs & slamming them through the window and onto the ground below...nearly beheading many members of the angry mob below. The angry mob quickly took the hint and headed for cover. In the corners of this field, puddles of toxic waste began to creep in. Augmented Mina towered over the bodies of the dazed MHC members and snickered. "**_DOCTOR'S ORDERS!_**"

**End of Part 9.**

**The endgame is not too far away now. This has been a blast to write and I'm amazed at how quickly it's all come together. For everyone that's stuck around to this point, thank you. If you're just finding this now, hope you enjoy it.**

**As always, reviews would be greatly appreciated. **


	10. Hopes Dashed

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

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**Part 10: Hopes Dashed**

**Original Postdate: August 13, 2019**

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Mina stood over the dazed bodies of the Magic High Commission, and she was not a happy camper. The three took a moment to stand up and regain their surroundings. Before they could even say anything more, Mina's body began swirling in a blue flame aura. It consumed her entire body before banging out a bright blue light and disappearing. What appeared on the other side was an equally buff and powerful Mina, surrounding by a light flaming blue aura, with her pupils and irises also returned to their normal spot. This was her perfected augmented form. "Look around you." She bellowed. The echo in her voice normally present in augmented form was still there, only somewhat pulled back. "You're destroying our world. And for what? A fruitless monster crusade that you know you'll never be able to win?"

"You'd be a fool to underestimate us." Omnitraxus bellowed, groaning.

"Face the music. You...me...Queen Solaria...our time is gone. We don't have a place in this new world, and we never will. I can't ever redeem myself but I can stop _you_ before you take any more innocent lives."

"Put a sock in it, Loveberry! It's all for the greater good!" Hekapoo argued. But her words managed to once again righteously anger the angry mob that had arrived on the scene. They all came out of their hiding spots and started shouting angrily towards the Magic High Commission. Stuff was about to go down.

Up in the room still, everyone else observed as they prepared for what was likely going to be a brutal, violent battle with so much on the line. "So...this is really happening." Star said with a hint of fear in her voice, clutching her chest in excruciating pain.

"I never thought I'd see this day." Glossaryck spoke.

"At least we are nearing the end of this dark, deplorable chapter." Solaria breathed deeply. Glossaryck turned to her.

"My queen...you do understand that _Mina_ is the red herring, correct? Solarian magic has to be personally eliminated for magic to be successfully destroyed, which means _she_ has to perish." Solaria remained silent for a moment before solemnly nodding. "In fact, as soon as I finish the All Encompassing Healing Spell and use it to destroy the waste, all we'd need to do is use the Whispering Spell on Mina and that would be the end of that. There really isn't any need for this confrontation with them."

"I agree, but you must understand: if there's one thing we Solarian warriors never lose, it's our pride. For better or worse, we are a proud group."

"I suppose we can at least take solace in that Mina's righteous fury is going to buy us some time to recharge & be ready to pinch hit?" Tom speculated. While everyone was basically in agreement on this, Star was not. And she proved it by immediately transforming into her Butterfly form. Doing so exerted an egregious amount of energy from her and caused her to nearly fall over in exhaustion, only to be caught & held up by Marco. "Star? What the-"

"I'm going to help Mina." She said, struggling to regain normal breathing.

"Out of the question!" Moon protested. "You can barely stand as it is. We should at least wait until Glossaryck finishes the Healing Spell to use on you. Otherwise you could over-exert yourself and die! I won't...I won't lose you again." Moon struggled to hold back her tears.

As did Star, but that didn't stop her from keeping her resolve. "It's not your choice to make, Mom. And I'm not _asking for permission_." With Marco's help, she stood up straight, despite wobbly legs. She took a deep breath and looked Moon in the eye. "I remember _exactly_ what I felt the day I found out that my entire family lineage was a lie. It felt like my entire world was crashing before me. It felt like I didn't even know who I was, and that I may never know. Ever since then I have _refused_ to trust the Magic High Commission. They never rightfully answered for completely screwing over Eclipsa and her family. All of which because they couldn't get past the fact that maybe, _just maybe,_ monsters aren't actually as bad as they wanted everyone to think. Mina is going through the exact same thing now. For her entire life, she was led to believe that monsters are the cold-blooded, cold-hearted enemy that had no humanity or empathy and were just a road block on the path to a "perfect Mewni."

"Um...she _still_ thinks that." Marco pointed out. "In fact I think Queen Solaria still does too."

Star looked in Queen Solaria's direction. She had a sullen frown on her face but didn't say anything. "Maybe that _is_ true, but their hatred of monsters was also artificially enhanced thanks to the Magic High Commission. And I'm not even talking about the fricking waste, either. Magic was essentially their _dividing line_. 'If you were part of the royal family that could use magic or lived in the society where magic was widely accepted, you were okay. If you didn't, you were trash.' Remember what Omnitraxus said at Eclipsa's trial? _Can you imagine what would happen if magic ever fell into the hands of a monster?_ Like, I don't know, tough guy, why don't _you_ speak for yourself?"

Her sniping at the MHC drew laughs from her father.

"All Eclipsa ever did was fall in love with Globgor, who - you know what? - is actually a pretty neat guy! And he's a loving husband and father that would do anything to protect them from harm! And _what_ did they do? They disowned Meteora, snatched her from her mother, and they swapped her with a peasant child! Yeah yeah, let's not forget that, they didn't just screw over Meteora, they screwed over Festiva too!" She loudly huffed before crossing her arms and closing her eyes to regain her composure.

"You know, I kinda have to agree with Star, here." Marco said. "The Magic High Commission seems like in the long haul they've done more harm than good. And they're pretty attitudinal people, if you ask me. Rhombulous is a petulant child, Omnitraxus is an arrogant know-it-all, and Hekapoo...I hate to say this, but Hekapoo's kind of a butt."

"She's _totally_ a butt." Star sighed, clearly agitated. "_She has kind of a nice one, too."_ She whispered under her breath, blushing slightly.

"Oh please, yours is a hundred thousand times better." Marco responded, which got Star's attention and got her madly blushing.

"_Property of Marco Diaz."_

"Oh dear lord, we're never going to hear the end of that, are we?" Moon sighed, cupping her eyebrows.

"Don't judge us Mom. Okay look, I'm not saying Mina deserves forgiveness for everything she's done over the years. She's put countless lives in danger and allowed her delusion and hatred to drive her to draw blood. She doesn't deserve to be forgiven for that." She turned to Solaria. "Heck, I'm not even sure _you_ deserve to be forgiven for it, Queen Solaria. All I'm saying is I understand the crippling urge to do whatever you possibly can to right a wrong. Even if you weren't alive when the wrong happened and have literally no moral obligation to intervene." She sighed and turned to Eclipsa. "That's why I stayed with Eclipsa for as long as I did when I turned the throne back over to her. For once, she deserved someone to be by her side and help show her the way and I wasn't going to let her down, no matter how crazy things got or how much sleep I lost. It was kind of fricking insane, and let me tell you, Eclipsa, you _did not_ make things easy. The last two weeks leading up to your coronation, I was running on like eight hours of sleep _total_. I'm _still_ not caught up on my sleep, and that includes the 13 hours I spent drooling on all of Marco's bed sheets two nights ago!" She huffed again and looked away in embarrassment. Marco cocked his head to the side and looked at Star, blushing like mad yet again.

"_How is it that you can make something that should be so icky sound so dang hot?"_ He whispered to her, which prompted her to place one of her Butterfly hands on his shoulder.

"Time and place, Diaz. Time and place."

Eclipsa put on a proud smile. "Oh, sweetie, we are most _definitely_ throwing you that thank-you party when this is all over."

Star sighed and walked back over to the window, briefly observing the scenery. Mina was violently engaging the MHC with the angry mob following her into the battle. "Sometimes you just can't make up for the choices of your past, no matter what you do. But that doesn't mean that it isn't worth doing anyway." She turned to the others. "Mina and Solaria deserve to die with at least some peace of mind."

Everyone in the room exchanged looks with each other, as if telepathically contemplating the weight of Star's words. Glossaryck floated over to the young Butterfly and beamed with pride. "It wasn't but a year ago you and I were having a petty squabble that ended with me locking myself in a donut box and ending up in the back of a garbage truck because you wouldn't call me your friend. It wasn't but a year ago you couldn't even understand what a metaphor was." His words got Star to smile. "You might not be my most accomplished princess, but you are the one I'm most proud of." Star smiled even wider. Glossaryck checked his watch. "On that note, I must be off. It's nearing 12 hours, I must collect the magic from the Realm of Magic to finish the Healing Spell."

"What if we don't have enough?" Moon proposed. "What if we don't have enough to assimilate the waste _and_ cure the children?"

Glossaryck sighed. "Then...we're in trouble." He snapped his fingers and out of thin air reappeared the magical weapons he had previously bestowed on everyone in the group just hours earlier. With that, he disappeared and went off to the Realm of Magic. Marco placed a comforting hand on Star's shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her.

"I've never been more sure of anything." She responded. "Well...maybe except for one thing." She smiled at him and they shared a kiss.

"If you're doing this, then so am I." He said bluntly. "We're in this together. I just hope I can keep up."

"Keep up? Marco, what does that mean? Did you not see how awesome you were when we fought Mina last night? You are totally capable of holding your own with magic."

"Yeah but only one of us has the Butterfly form that makes them super powerful and stuff." Suddenly Marco's eyes went super wide as he had a revelation. He looked at Star, then down at his hands. "Wait..."

"What?"

"I just thought of something. If I'm actually _part Mewman_...then..."

Star's eyes also went wide, realizing what Marco was proposing. "Only one way to find out. Go for it, Diaz."

Marco closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated. A magical aura began surrounding him, eventually forming a what appeared to be a cocoon of magical energy. When the cocoon finally evaporated, out popped a transformed Marco Diaz. This new Marco Diaz was sporting black, pointy butterfly wings, a red jacket with a black t-shirt underneath, black skinny jeans, his hair was standing completely straight up, and there was a giant pink diamond-shaped crystal on his torso. Everyone around him stood in awe at this transformation.

Except for Star, who instead of being in awe was completely overcome with glee. "OMIGOSH MARCO YOU HAVE A BUTTERFLY FORM!" She kept repeating over and over, hugging him tightly as he was left to process this development. "YOU HAVE A BUTTERFLY FORM! MARCO! MARCO! ARE YOU SEEING THIS?"

Marc...was not as ecstatic. "...do not like." He said flatly. "How do you even get your six arms to work with each other?"

"Lots and lots of practice, which...you...don't have time for. But you know what? If there's one thing you're great at, Marco, it's winging it...no pun intended."

Marco held out one of his hands towards her. "You sure you want to do this?"

Star unhesitatingly grabbed his hand and smiled. "You bet."

"You guys want us to come with?" Tom asked. "We have the weapons, we can handle ourselves just fine."

Star and Marco looked at each other, then at Tom. "Your call." She said. She and Marco pulled each other close and got in one more kiss before leaping through the broken window and soaring towards the battle ground. They slammed into ground right where the MHC were and sent them flying several dozen feet in the air and getting the attention of the angry mob _and_ Mina.

"Butterfly!" Buff Frog yelled.

"Everyone!" Star yelled before wincing in pain again and coughing up some more blood. "You have to get out of here. It's not safe for any of you!"

"Out of the question!" He retorted. "We are fed up with hiding in fear! Today, we fight back!" He walked over to Star rather confidently. "Young Star, you have so valiantly for monster kind. When we saw no reason to stand for ourselves, you stood for us. Now is our turn to fight for you."

Touched by his words, Star hugged Buff Frog. "That's sweet, but that's not what I meant. Look!" She turned his attention to the toxic waste that was now seeping into the battleground, and rather quickly. "If you come into contact with that stuff you're gonna be in serious trouble. You might even...you might die."

"Then we die fighting." Katrina perked up, completely unfazed by the looming threat. Star smiled.

"Okay. But please be careful. Don't say I didn't warn you-"

"INCOMING!" Marco yelled as he shot himself in front of the group and put up a magical shield to absorb an incoming flame attack. Hekapoo came out of seemingly nowhere with her hands holding powerful fire balls. She did not look like a happy camper.

"You couldn't have just left things alone, could you?" She said rather angrily. "Why couldn't you just mind your own business like a _good princess_?"

"Good princess?" Buff Frog scoffed and stepped forward towards Hekapoo, entirely unafraid of potential harm coming to him. "Star Butterfly is best princess! Thanklessly and tirelessly serving her own people _and_ monsters better than you and your people ever have! _She_ is leader our world needs but does not deserve." A wide, proud smile from Star.

"What kind of leaders turn their back on their own people just to stick it to a group of creatures they despise?" Ludo shouted. "People like _you_ are the problem, not people like Star Butterfly!"

Behind Hekapoo, Omnitraxus attempted to use his powers to conjure a magical ball of energy and shoot it at the group, only it was blocked this time by Mina...mostly without any strenuous effort. "I have no problem doing this the hard way, but you'd make it a lot easier on yourselves - and your people - if you surrendered _now_."

Hekapoo snorted. "Yeah, that's not going to happen." She turned to Marco. "By the way, Diaz...that is the _dumbest_ looking Butterfly form I've ever seen on anyone."

"Oh really? Because Star thinks it's nice, and frankly that's all I care about!" He barked back. Unconsciously his hands began to glow with a greenish aura. Unbeknownst to him, a small piece of one of the waste puddles behind him also became surrounded with a green aura. He clenched the hand that was glowing into a fist and launched his hand forward to call attention to them. " So why don't you just back off!" As he shouted, he launched his first forward and also launched the piece of waste that was glowing towards Hekapoo, causing her _and_ Omnitraxus to dodge in a shock.

"What the?"

Marco's eyes went huge, realizing what had just happened. He looked at his hand, and then he looked back at the waste puddle, discovering the missing chunk from it and putting the pieces together. "Did I just...whoa!"

"Marco you're a genius!" Star yelled. "We can't destroy this waste on our own but maybe we can use it to fight back! We gotta wait for Glossaryck anyway, we might as well take advantage of it!"

So that became the new strategy: Mina would fight them head on in the air with her perfected augmented form, and Star & Marco would join the angry mob & fight on the ground, utilizing the toxic waste as their primary weapon, which would serve not only to give themselves a formidable offense _and_ defense against the MHC, but also to clear out the ground so that the mob didn't have to worry about succumbing to its effects. For a short time, it seemed to be paying off in spades: not only was the majority of the ground cleared of waste, but they were able to significantly push back the MHC on all fronts, overpowering them with relentless offense.

That did not last, however. On top of the MHC successfully adjusting to their offense, there was a separate fatal flaw to their plan: these maneuvers did not actually eliminated the waste. If they missed their intended targets, the waste simply found another one, whether it be ground further into the distance, trees, or worse, even innocent homes. And the MHC took advantage of this flaw, which forced our heroes to adjust themselves. "Okay, so maybe I'm not a genius after all." Marco quipped.

"We just have to readjust!"

On the fly, they adjusted their battle strategies and were briefly able to regain the upper hand, pushing the MHC back a significant way and restoring their confidence. But their battle was so intense that at some point everyone had been sent flying every which way. Unfortunately, it got to the point where even the angry mob found themselves getting tossed around like sausages. Buff Frog, in particular, found himself thrown so far off that he ended up landing in a pond of toxic waste, becoming completely covered in the stuff. "BUFF FROG!" Star screamed; she raced over to him to check on him. "Are you okay?"

For Buff Frog, the waste was not only poisoning him, but it was paralyzing him too. He was literally unable to move to escape the pond. "Star Butterfly...I can hear you but I cannot move head or eyes to see you."

"Hang in there, Buff Frog. You're not leaving us. Not on my watch!"

Buff Frog chuckled. "Is okay, princess. If is my time, I will go with pride. I fought the good fight. And I have you to thank, young Butterfly." He smiled. "You stood up for us when nobody would. You deserved to be queen more than anyone."

She smiled and wiped a tear away. "No I didn't, but...thank you." Her pride was interrupted by the sound of Buff Frog's children racing over to see their dad. All of them were screaming or crying hysterically, preparing to mourn the loss of their beloved father. Rhombulous decided that it would be a good idea to attack the children while they were all gathered by Buff Frog. Star responded by conjuring up a magical shield to block the attacks, then turn it into a magical redirecting cylinder and firing it back at him. Rhombulous was then met with the angry fist of Mina right into his jaw, sending him flying into a nearby damaged tree.

By this point, the incoming waste was beginning to accelerate at an alarming rate. Almost as if it had been yet again charmed. Spoilers: it was. The waste was now flooding the area faster than comprehensible, and while Star and Marco were able to fly and thus avoid its wrath, the mob on the ground was not so lucky. "GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Star screamed at them. Unfortunately, many of them did not move fast enough and fell victim to the waste. The lucky ones were mutated.

Even the rest of the group, all whom heroically ventured out of the castle into the unpredictable battle field to back them up, ultimately had to head back to the castle for retreat. Unfortunately for them, they too suffered at the hands of this toxic waste. Moon, Mr. Diaz, and Janna found themselves getting splashed by the waste and slowly falling victim to its terrors.

"Janna! Mom! Da-I mean Mr. Diaz!" Star yelled in agony, the last batch catching Marco's attention and getting him to turn to her, confused. As for the three poor victims, Janna's right arm became ridiculous musclebound and hairy, Mr. Diaz found himself having his legs paralyzed & his toes shriveled, and Moon found the skin on her face literally starting to melt. Star and Marco appropriately responded by screaming their heads off...that is until the Torture Spell stabbed at their weak hearts yet again and forced them to take a knee. Unfortunately they couldn't stay on their knees for very long as the waste was rapidly coming in and forced the two kids - despite their weak state - to fly out of the way and take high ground. They did so on the roof of the Butterfly castle, collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion and closing their eyes to block out the pain. The rest of their friends - minus Solaria - were successfully able to reenter the castle, but unfortunately the waste continued seeping in through the walls, forcing them to remain on the run.

Solaria, though? She decided to take advantage of the magic that Star & Marco had offered her earlier and use it to help Mina, who continued to push onward to fight the MHC despite the looming threat of the waste. Mina was backed into a corner, surrounded by the MHC and with waste inching towards her feet. But this did not last long, as Solaria stepped in, using her newly acquired magic to form a sword made of pure energy to slash at all three MHC members at the same time, knocking them back. She reached out to grab Mina's hand and pull her away from the impending doom. Solaria gave her an encouraging, determined smile, getting Mina to smile back.

They both got themselves into their battle ready stance for the MHC to return. What they were not prepared for was for them to reemerge but slightly covered in toxic waste themselves. Granted it was only Hekapoo's left foot (and a drop or two at that) and Rhombulous's right hand, but it was a start. Upon realizing this, Solaria and Mina looked each other, grinned rather diabolically, and nodded, all before charging at them again and exploding at them with power.

Back on the root of the castle, Star and Marco were still lying down; dizzy, exhausted, and nearly on their last legs, they struggled to stand up. "Star...are you...okay?" Marco said slowly & hoarsely, his panting louder than ever.

"Define "okay." Star quipped back, also wheezing. "I am so dizzy..." She sighed and tried to focus her sight on Marco, but her vision was way too watery & blurry. "Marco, I need help. I need you to slap me."

"What happened to "time & place?" Marco yelled. Star spent a brief moment confused herself before realizing she had confused him.

"...I meant across my face."

"...oh. Sorry."

"Although I'm keeping that in mind for later."

"Yeah, no, out of the question." He said firmly while his body nearly tipped over and fell down from exhaustion. "Anything that involves me having to deliberately hurt you is a no-go for me."

"Marco, look at us. We're falling over ourselves and we can barely even keep awake. We're near the end of our rope anyway, what do we have to lose?"

"I don't care, Star. I'm not going to do it. I'm already worried enough about hurting you accidentally, you really think I'm going to do-" While he was stuck in his rant, Star slapped him across the face, hard. The result? Marco's vision instantly cleared, he was gifted a second wind, and he was able to focus far more efficiently. "Wow. That...that hit the spot."

Star pulled her hand back, stood up straight, and closed her eyes, bracing for impact. "I know it's not kosher and I wouldn't be asking if things weren't so dire, so please just suck it u-" This time Marco didn't even hesitate. He slapped her across the face hard, which gave her the same benefits it just gave Marco. "Oh yeah, baby! That hit the spot!" She yelled proudly, looking over at Marco to see that the boy was utterly horrified at having to do that.

"Don't ever make me do that again!" He said, almost on the verge of tears. She chuckled and hugged him.

"Oh Marco...you are such a softie." She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

They held hands again and blasted themselves off the roof towards the area where Mina, Solaria, and the MHC were. Upon arriving, they immediately bashed Omnitraxus & Hekapoo out of the way, and then proceeded to throw Rhombulous into a broken tree that collapsed on him upon impact, bailing Mina & Solaria out of a tight jam. All while still masterfully avoiding the waste.

It never once dawned on them, but the more damage they did to the likes of Hekapoo, Rhombulous, or Omnitraxus, the more aggressive, violent, & fast-forming the waste became, since the MHC would often use their power to further charm it every time they got hit. But at this point, it no longer mattered. With Star, Marco, Mina, & Solaria working together, it became a laugher. Harnessing every ounce of magical power they each had in their bodies, they embarrassingly overwhelmed the Magic High Commission with a barrage of relentless offense, never letting up, never giving them a chance to recover or strategize.

The end result? Their exhausted, nearly unconscious bodies were dumped onto the ground where there was plenty of waste now barreling in, covering each of their bodies without hesitation. A huffing & puffing Mina stared down the unconscious MHC, her anger slowly but surely dissipating.

"How do you feel, Mina?" Solaria asked her softly.

"I...don't know. I'm not angry, I guess..."

Solaria placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think we've made our point."

"Me too. Come on, maybe Glossaryck's back with that Healing Spell." Marco spoke softly. As they turned to leave, Omnitraxus, somehow still alive, began cackling maniacally.

"You think you've won?" He cackled as the waste began to eat at his body. "Don't you remember what Mina said? You can get rid of us, but you'll never get rid of our ideas."

Mina sighed and turned to face them. "Just swallow it already: people like you...people like _us_..." She turned to Solaria and sighed. "...have no place in this new world. And we never will. But...maybe we're not supposed to. I can never speak for you three, but at least Queen Solaria and I can go knowing we did everything we could to protect the people we were _supposed_ to protect." She lowered her head solemnly and, with Solaria, Star, & Marco, proceeded to walk away towards the castle.

Omnitraxus scoffed. "Petulant coward."

His two words drew Star's ire immediately. She turned her head slowly towards Omnitraxus & the other MHC members, her eyes red with rage. She clenched her fists as tightly as she could under her bandages. A dark green, fire-like aura surrounded her; her fists began to glow dark green. The green fire aura began to slowly melt away her Butterfly form, concentrating all of her magical power into her fists. Without so much as even thinking, she thrusted her fists back and then forward, unleashing a devastating greenish yellow magic blast at the MHC. The Whispering Spell, concentrated in pure, righteous anger. She screamed at the top of her lungs as the blast hit the three members of the Magic High Commission. The blast only further gained strength as it went along.

Slowly and surely the spell started to ravage & disintegrate their bodies. Their pained, petrified screams filled the air and echoed throughout all the land. Star's Butterfly form continued to disintegrate as did the MHC's bodies. The light was strong enough to nearly blind those nearby that dared look in the direction. Eventually the spell completely destroyed the bodies of Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus, and with it, took Star out of her Butterfly form and caused her to collapse from exhaustion on the ground.

In her wake was left a horrified Marco, Solaria, and Mina, with Mina in particular appearing particularly shocked.

**End of Part 10.**

**As always, reading & reviewing would be greatly appreciated :)**


	11. Spirits Broken

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

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**Part 11: Spirits Broken**

**Original Postdate: August 15, 2019**

* * *

Smoke permeated from the ground where the bodies of Hekapoo, Rhombulous, and Omnitraxus once lay. Star slowly began to regain consciousness, and in doing so, her eyesight brought her over to the smoking area. "Star...what did you do?" Marco asked. Star struggled to find the words.

"I..." She was speechless, both because of her continuing declining health _and_ because she was legitimately awestruck at what just happened. "They're gone..."

"How could you!?" Mina screamed. "Don't you get it? That's _exactly_ what they wanted!" Her words permeated her own consciousness before she dropped to her knees and clutched her head in sharp, stabbing pain.

"Mina!" Solaria shouted. "Are you okay?"

Mina screamed some more as her body began to spasm, permeating a light blue, crackling aura. "My queen! Something...is wrong! I can't...control myself!"

Solaria's face indicated she had a sudden revelation. And a startling one at that. "Oh dear butterfly...we must all get to safety now!"

"Why? What's happening?" Marco asked, running over to help Star stand up.

"She's losing control!" The three of them got themselves together and managed to get away from Mina, but not even that would help save them. Mina had snapped.

In her anger-filled tantrum, Mina's body started to life off the ground, floating without any awareness on her part. Her perfected augmented form was morphing; morphing into something that not even she ever thought it could become. Her muscles began expanding insurmountably, with bulging veins popping up on all corners of her arms. Her pupils and irises began to fade again. Her voice echo became far more pronounced and obvious while she was screaming.

At the end of it all, Mina let out one final fierce, eat-splitting scream that sent literally shock waves throughout the land. With her transformation completed, she landed on the ground - hard, for dramatic effect - to show off her new form, which was essentially her regular augmented form, only far buffer, stronger, angrier, and less stable. There were visible tears strolling down Mina's face, but that did nothing to take away from her imposing stature. She imposed genuine fear into the three of them. She screamed like a lunatic, and as a result of this, the waste that was surrounding them as well as the rest of the waste that was infesting the land of Earth Mewni not only began to move every which way like it was a typhoon, but its growth escalated.

Mina leaped into the air and dove right towards Star, Marco & Solaria. Solaria managed to use her power to both block Mina's incoming assault _and_ get Star & Marco to a safe enough place up on the roof of the castle. While they were temporarily out of Mina's sight, Glossaryck reappeared beside them with a giant - and by giant I mean almost three times the size of Glossaryck - vile of potion filled to the brim with gold, bubbly liquid. "The All Emcompassing Healing Spell is complete!" He announced. His optimism, though, was quickly subsided upon gazing at the rampaging Mina on the ground and the tsunami of toxic waste now surrounding the area and flying around like madness. "Oh dear, appears I've missed a bit, haven't I?"

"The Magic High Commission are gone." Marco explained.

"Gone? I see Mina got her moment of redemption."

"Actually...she didn't." Star explained. "She didn't kill them. She wasn't _going_ to." Glossaryck raised an eyebrow. "She beat them down to a pulp and was just going to let them fester in the mess they made. But then...then Omnitraxus called her a coward and I just...I just completely snapped. Again. Gosh I really need a therapist, don't I?"

"And now Mina's kinda gonzo." Marco added.

"Can't say I blame her. In Mina's eyes this was her one chance at redemption, and leaving them just alive enough to suffer without ending their misery was a perfect bookend for her. You killing them off, in her eyes, effectively robbed her of that opportunity."

"I didn't even _plan_ to do that. It just...it just happened." Star sighed. "I blew it, didn't I?"

Glossaryck shrugged. "Well I can't really say this is ideal but in the interest of honesty I don't really blame you either. They were great at their jobs - keyword _were_ \- but I never really liked them all that much. They were an integral part of the world we once had, but...like Mina & Queen Solaria, they don't have a place in this new world."

"You three go and eliminate the waste." Solaria announced, pulling out a sword and readying herself. "I'll keep Mina at bay."

"My queen, are you sure?"

"I got through to her once. Perhaps I can get through to her again. And if I can't...well, I'm not worried about holding my own."

They all exchanged looks before nodded at each other. Glossaryck snapped his fingers and took Star, Marco, the Healing Spell, and himself, and they went off to finish off their plan, leaving Solaria alone to deal with Mina. Solaria wasted no time, charging full speed at Mina and slicing at her with her sword. The attack got Mina's attention but did minimal harm to her. Instead it only further infuriated her.

"Mina..." Solaria spoke softly. "Talk to me." Mina spoke no words. She only growled. "It doesn't have to be this way. You made your point. You have _nothing_ left to prove. I need you to come back to us, we still have to eliminate the waste and _end this_ once and for all. I can't do it without you." Mina appeared to be attempting to speak words but struggling badly. And eventually she just gave up and lunged at Solaria again. An all out brawl broke out between them, as they traded magic blast after magic blast, landing hit after hit after hit on each other, while also somehow managing to avoid the now-flying-everywhere waste.

* * *

Star, Marco, & Glossaryck took the All Encompassing Healing Spell towards a forest, where it was apparent that it had been hit the worst by the toxic waste. Trees, bushes, huts, and lakes all practically ruined by the waste. Glossaryck put his right hand on the large vile and stuck out his left hand towards the forest. The golden liquid in the vile began to slowly drain as Glossaryck's left hand glowed gold. Then the toxic waste in the forest began glowing gold and slowly dissipating right in front of their eyes.

"Whoaaaa, that's awesome." Star commented. "Man, magic's _wild_, isn't it?"

"It has its perks...when it's not being strangled & abused to advance destructive agendas, that is."

"Yeah, I'm really not going to miss it."

Marco looked over at the vile, taking notice of the slow but steady drain of magic from it. "Glossaryck...what happens if we don't have enough? There's a _lot_ of this stuff out there."

The last of the waste disappeared from the forest. There was still plenty of golden liquid remaining but it would be a development for Glossaryck to monitor. "You Earth people have a saying, don't you? _Think happy thoughts._" He responded. He snapped his fingers and teleported the three of them to another location, this time a less busy forest around where Buff Frog was victimized. The process repeated. Up until Buff Frog was the only thing left in this area to be cleansed, there was no interruption. But once they moved on to Buff Frog himself, who remained paralyzed in his puddle, things got tricky.

Mina and Solaria's intense fight saw them nearly decapitate the three, but fortunately they were able to escape just in time, with the Healing Spell still in tact, just before Solaria slammed hard into the nearby tree. Star made the choice to break from Marco & Glossaryck & help Solaria. "You guys go without me. I'm going to help Solaria!" She announced as she transformed again into her butterfly form and charged right at Mina and landed blows on her. Solaria followed suit by using a teleportation spell to zap herself over to where they landed.

The field that was just recently cleaned of toxic waste was where Mina landed hard - nearly head first - on the ground. Solaria appeared right in front of Mina thanks to her spell, then quickly conjured up another magical energy blast and, with no hesitation, fired it straight at Mina, consuming her with massive power and damaging her significantly. Mina responded by literally grabbing Solaria, catching her off guard, and throwing her into the distance like a football, only to then be struck by a freezing spell from Star, temporarily incapacitating her. This temporary fix allowed Star the leeway to fall to the ground and give herself a chance to catch her breath, breath that was slow slipping away.

Her head started to spin like a globe. Her body began lightly spasming. Nothing made sense anymore. For her, it may not have been the end of the line, but it sure felt like it. Mina thawed out of her ice block as Star struggled to get onto her knees. Despite having a perfect opportunity to assimilate Star right then and there, Mina hesitated, falling to her knees as well and staring off into space. Star immediately took notice of them upon finally getting back to her feet. She trudged slowly to Mina, who didn't even blink.

"I don't belong here." Mina said, her echo mostly gone, her voice solemn & sunken.

"This new world isn't like the one you knew." Star said quietly. "Things change. The world changes. And we have to change with it. You can still have a place here."

Mina shook her head and looked at Star. "No, I can't. The best way me to make this world better is...to leave it." She sighed. "But...I don't know how. This power..."

"It won't let you go?" Again Mina shook her head. "Maybe I can fix that." Star's words piked Mina. "I can use the Whispering Spell on you...it'll destroy the Solarian magic directly, but because you're bonded to the magic..." Star collected herself and stared Mina down gently. "Mina I have to kill you." She finally spat out bluntly.

Mina, despite the obvious fear and terror in her eyes, didn't hesitate to keep going. "Then what are you waiting for?"

A development that stunned Star where she stood. "What did you say?"

"Get it over with!" She shouted again.

"W-W-I can't just do that." Star explained. "Marco and Glossaryck are busy cleaning up all the waste. They have to do that first before we destroy the magic. Otherwise...it'll stay here, and nobody stands a chance against it. Plus, me and Marco..." She put her hand over her heart again. This time, she could barely feel it beating. Her heart beat had slowed and weakened so drastically that it was almost as if she was walking an extremely tight rope between life and death. "I don't know...how much time we have left..."

"But I can't control it!" Mina shouted, standing up in frustration. "Don't you understand? You either kill me now, or there's no telling what I can-" Her sentenced turned into an ear-splitting scream that caused her to fall over in a fetal position, clutching her head. Star took a step forward before wising up and stepping backwards, bracing for a potential explosion. Almost instantly Mina was near feral again, unshakable by reason. As she prepared to lunge at Star, Solaria barged in right on time and grabbed her by the neck, temporarily restraining her. However, it couldn't stop her from behind back-slammed into the ground via Mina's rage. She then grabbed Solaria's arms and swung her in Star's direction, throwing the queen into her and hurdling them both into a nearby tree, slamming into it hard.

In their madness fight, they paid no attention to their surroundings, so they missed the fact that Marco & Glossaryck were having rousing success in eliminating the waste. By this point, they had managed to eliminate it from nearly every corner of their world, including their friends who had been afflicted by it. The only problem: it took a massive amount of the Healing Spell that they had to do it, and by the time every inch of toxic waste had been cleared from everyone and everything, there was only a mouthful of it left, presenting a dilemma.

Once Solaria & Star were able to knock Mina back again, Glossaryck poofed himself over to their whereabouts, grab them in a magical field, and poof them to the roof of the Butterfly Castle, where everyone else was laying low. "What the heck, Glossaryck? We got the upper hand again!" Star shouted. Glossaryck responded by showing her the nearly empty vial. "No...don't tell me we don't have enough."

"No, we did. We had enough to get rid of all of it!" Marco interrupted, which got a cheer from Star as well as the rest of the group.

"Alright! Way to go!" But then a cold dose of reality hit her. "Wait...what about..."

"Well, _that_ is where the problem lies." Glossaryck spoke. "We had enough Healing Spell to cure the waste and save our world, but...unfortunately, we don't have enough to cure both of you of your ailments." The jaws of everyone in the group dropped upon hearing this news. "We have enough left to cure exactly _one_ of you. But not both." The two kids exchanged heartbroken looks with each other. "I'm...so sorry." Star and Marco embraced, barely holding back the urge to sob. Solaria lowered her head in despair, also fighting back tears. "An insensitive question I realize this is to ask, but it still must be asked: who will it be?"

Neither one of them was capable of forming words at the moment. Moon, River, Angie, and Rafael all succumbed to sobs. Jackie, Janna, and Tom put on brave faces which faded fairly quickly. "Queen Solaria..." Star turned to Solaria. "What do you think we should do?"

"I'm not going to dictate this!" She shouted, both agitated & heartbroken. "Who am I to decide between two brave heroes who deserves to live more?"

Marco and Star exchanged more looks but said nothing. The boy looked over at Glossaryck and the near-empty vial. In an instant, he rushed over and grabbed it from Glossaryck, bringing it to Star. "Star, you have to take it."

"What!?" She screeched out of nowhere.

"You have to take it."

"But...but..."

"Star you are _not_ putting yourself in danger for me again. I won't allow it. If you don't take this and cure yourself, you are going to regret it. Plus...we need you at full strength, because I don't think I can be of any help defeating Mina." Star looked at the vial in her hands, then at the sullen boy in front of her, prepared to sacrifice his own life for her. The boy had a smile on his face that never left. "Star, I'm so thankful you crashed into my life. You made me such a better person. You showed me how amazing it is to truly love your best friend. I'll never forget any of this."

Tears started streaming down Star's face. The boy urged Star to drink the remainder of the Spell. She slowly brought the vial to her lips, preparing to do so. But she couldn't. She didn't have the heart to do it. Instead, she angrily & fiercely lunged at Marco, ramming the vile into his mouth and forcing him to gulp it down. It was literally a dog fight, and Star had no intention of losing.

"Star!" Moon yelled out of concern. "What are you doing?"

"Funny, I thought this wasn't supposed to happen until _after_ the wedding." Glossaryck joked.

Finally, Star managed to get Marco to drink the last of the Healing Spell. In frustration, Marco lifted the bottle out of his mouth and threw it away, shattering it on impact. "Star, what the heck is wrong with-" His frustration subsided and turned to agony once his brain put together the puzzle pieces. The picture became clear, and his worst nightmare was being realized. "Star? Why?"

The girl was near sobbing now. "Because I won't let you risk your life for _me_ ever again."

"But-"

"No, Marco. Just no. You've already done more than enough." She wiped some tears away and went to hug the boy. "Thank you for the happiest year of my life. Thank you for showing me what true love looked like. Thank you for embracing me and all of my warts, all of my faults. Thank you for supporting and encouraging me through all of the rough times. But most of all..." She pulled him in and gave Marco the most passionate kiss they'd ever had. A kiss that seemed like it was never going to end, and nobody on the sidelines dared to interrupt them. Tears were rushing down both of their faces now. After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled apart. She gazed into his eyes, now completely sobbing. "...thank you for loving me." Marco wasn't too far behind in the sobbing, and then the two embraced again. Once again, nobody dared to interrupt them. "Maybe this is for the best anyway..."

"Don't you dare talk like that!"

"Marco _I'm_ the reason this is all happening in the first place."

"You couldn't have known!"

"Maybe, but at least now I can really fix things once and for all and end everyone's suffering!"

"What about your own?"

Star said nothing, for she had no rebuttal. The two sat silently for the longest time before finally calming down and regain their composure a bit. "You...you've never done the Whispering Spell, have you?" Marco shook his head. "Well I hope you're a fast learner."

Star gave Marco a crash course in the Whispering Spell, teaching him the incantation and ensuring he had it down properly. True to his word, Marco was a fast learner, and he didn't need much time at all to get down what he needed. Thank goodness, too, as it was at this point Mina found them on the roof. She growled and stared them all down, fists clenched in rage.

"Are you kids ready?" Solaria asked them. Star and Marco both nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I'll stall her, _you_ ready the spell."

And so the endgame was a hand. Solaria took flight to combat Mina head on, prepared to go down with the ship. Star and Marco stayed on the roof and prepared their final strike. They cupped their hands into the shape of a ball and began chanting the incantation.

_Break the bond.  
__Tear the fabric.  
Cleave the stone.  
Stop the magic._

Repeating it non stop, little balls of yellow energy began forming in their hands, balls that expanded the longer they chanted. After enough time passed, each of their little energy balls had expanded to about five times their original size. The two kids looked at each other, still chanting, and as if telepathically, decided to combine their two magical balls into one ginormous ball of energy, containing an incomprehensible amount of power from the Whispering Spell. Mina caught sight of this development, which only further enraged her. But before she could even react, Solaria also caught wind of this development, and leaped into action, dashing behind Mina and grabbing her into a headlock, incapacitating her.

"There isn't much time! Do it!" Solaria screamed at them.

"We can't! You're in..." Star gagged loudly. "...you're in the line of fire!"

"That doesn't mean anything!" Solaria argued.

"But...I can't-"

"Don't you worry about me! My run in this world may be looked down on, but I can at least end it on a good note!"

"She's...she's right!" Mina shouted, somehow breaking through the stranglehold the Solarian magic had on her psyche. "If this is the only way..." Solaria looked back at her former protege and smiled.

"It's not going to hurt Mina. I promise." She said with a smile, which got Mina to crack a smile too, albeit with a lot of tears. They both turned to Star & Marco, and they nodded approvingly. Star and Marco exchanged looks one more time. Marco had a tear roll down his face, which prompted Star to kiss him to bring a smile back. Finally they turned their attention back to Mina, and with their combined magic & willpower, launched their Whispering Spell in Mina's direction. The blast hit them both head on.

Slowly the spell ravaged their bodies, breaking them apart molecule by molecule. Neither of them screamed or even reacted in pain; they simple floated there accepting their fate with a proud smile on their faces. The impact was so powerful it caused a massive explosion of light that surrounding all of Earth Mewni. Its bristling light and sparkles blinded nearly everyone around temporarily, completely unsure of what was happening.

Eventually the light started to dissipate, revealing to all that both Mina and Solaria had in fact perished thanks to the Whispering Spell. Everyone was prepared to start celebrating. That is until Star collapsed on the ground, completely drained. "STAR!" Marco screamed, running over to his love and gently lifted her head into his hands. She was breathing, but barely. Marco said nothing; he only hugged her as hard as he could, losing the fight not to sob. Everyone around him struggled to hold back tears as well, including Glossaryck.

The girl slowly reached one of her arms out and touched Marco's face with her hand. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Marco...we did it." She managed out a chuckle through shallow breathing. As fast as that happened, though, her breathing started to return to normal. Her eyes opened more and more until they were full as a look of glee, triumph, and confusion reigned on her face. She quickly put a hand on her heart and found that its beat was slowly returning to normal. "Wait...my heart..."

Marco's grief & anxiety was replaced with a look of hope. "Star, are you..." He helped the girl stand up. Though her legs were wobbly, she was able to stand up with far less trouble than previously. She panted a few times to catch her breath but it was already clear that there was a marked improvement in her condition. "Star!"

"I...I think I'm...okay?" She said hesitantly. Her vision was no longer blurred. "I'm okay!"

"You're okay! But how?"

"I thought there was only enough Healing Spell left for only one of us."

"Backwash." Spoke Janna, with her arms crossed and a sly smile on her face. "The answer is backwash."

The two lovebirds raised their eyebrows and looked at each other. "But you drank the whole thing...I made _sure_ you drank all of it."

"Yeah but you kissed-" And then both of their eyes went big. "You kissed me. I hadn't even swallowed all of it."

"I guess you still had some leftover residue on your lips when I kissed you. I didn't even think of that, I just reacted-"

And everyone immediately let our a variety of reactions, all except for Janna, who stayed silent until everyone was done. "Told ya. Backwash. And with that, I've hit my limit, I am done." She threw her hands up and turned her back to them.

"Oh, so everything they were doing earlier was hot but you draw the line at _backwash_?" Tom immediately called her out.

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Even Jackie agreed. But that was all they would get out of it as they were interrupted by Star & Marco's parents, as well as Eclipsa & Globgor, ambushing them & hugging them half to death, blubbering like idiots, elated to see that their children were alive.

"Guys, we're fine!" Star shouted over the blubbering.

"You're suffocating us!" Marco chimed in, which finally got the parents to back off ever so slightly.

"We thought we lost you." River said.

"You're both so brave!" Rafael added. Finally everyone parted and gave everyone time to breath.

"Is it truly over now?" Eclipsa asked. "Is...is the magic gone?"

Star held out her hands towards the sky, attempting to conjure up a spell. Nothing came out. "I...guess so."

"Yes it appears the age of magic is _finally_ over." Glossaryck said triumphantly. "Now a new age of peace can finally commence." In the distance there were some faint cheers. Star and Marco approached the edge of the roof and looked down, seeing the tens of thousands of people/monsters who flooded in to help cheering them from the ground, including a clearly healed Buff Frog. "I believe this world is in great hands."

Star's face suddenly fell; she turned to face him. "Glossaryck...have I done the right thing? Destroying the magic?"

He smiled proudly. "Like any individual, a society cannot hope to survive without progress and change. Sometimes progress or change means having to part with something you once believed defined you, defined your person, defined your world. Magic does not define you, Star. What defines you is what you do now without it. And just because you can't use spells anymore doesn't mean you can't create your own magic." He patted her shoulder. "I have faith in you, kid."

She smiled and wiped a tear away. "I never thought I'd say this, but...I'm going to miss you, Glossaryck. What's going to happen to you? Honestly?"

"Well, it's like I said: a good captain goes down with their ship." He started to lift himself into the air, preparing to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot: all your magic spells say 'hello." His words sparked a large smile on Star's face. Glossaryck finally started the process of leaving, with a sparkly aura surrounding his body and his body started to fade from existence.

Star began waving frantically, almost crying now. "Bye Glossaryck!" She yelled. But before his body fully disappeared...it exploded.

His entire body spontaneously exploded as if he was being popped like a balloon. Needless to say, everyone on the roof was left jaw-dropped and dumbfounded. With the exception of Janna, who found it hilarious but did her best not to laugh. For the longest time nobody made a sound. That is until River finally spoke up.

"Didn't everyone always say Glossaryck was full of hot air?" ...and his words did not help at all. It only garnered confused at best, annoyed at worst stares from everyone.

"So...it's all over." Eclipsa finally spoke up after another brief silence. "I don't really know how to feel about it all."

"I'm just glad the Solarian magic is finally gone, too." Star said solemnly. "Maybe now we can all finally move forward."

"This is all my fault." Moon acknowledged. "If I had just kept my head on straight and not restarted the solarian program when Mina proposed it, none of this would have happened. And maybe we wouldn't have had to destroy the magic after all, or-"

"Mom. You're getting crazy again." Star chuckled. "Look, if not Mina, it would've been somebody else. There's always going to be people out there that discriminate for no reason other than to hate, and it's on all of us to be vigilant and put a stop to that, but now they won't have the best weapon they could've had to use to further their agenda. Maybe this is for the best."

Moon sighed. "Perhaps, but...I'm so sorry you'll never get to be queen, dear."

Her words spurned a light bulb from Eclipsa. "Or will she? Moon, I have an idea." She approached Moon and whispered something into her ear. Whatever it was, it lit Moon's face up.

"Eclipsa that's a wonderful idea."

"What is?" Star inquired.

"Sorry dear, it's a surprise." Eclipsa told her, which visibly annoyed Star.

"You guys are going ahead with throwing me a party, aren't you? Even after I said I didn't want one."

"We're parents. It's our job to be overbearing!" River declared. He and everyone else on the roof minus Marco started heading back down off the roof, leaving the two lovebirds alone.

"Unbelievable." Star muttered to herself.

"What's the problem?" Marco asked. "It's a thank-you party. Don't you think you deserve one?"

"First of all, no. Second of all, I don't want any excitement. I just want to plan my getaway with you and just go crash. That's all." She sighed. "But I guess if they insist on doing this, it can't be that bad, right?"

Marco reached into his pocket and pulled out a big wad of cash. "Here." He handed it to her. "I know it's not really a good gift, but..."

"How much is here?"

"I don't know, like, $650?"

"...but why?"

"Well I thought you'd feel better if you got to, I don't know, spoil yourself or something. You've spent so much time and energy having to worry about everything else around you, why not take some time to think of yourself?"

Star smiled. "Aww..." But then frowned. "I don't know if I can do it, though."

Marco wrapped an arm around her and hugged her. "Will you try? For me?"

She looked down at the money, and then at him again. "Okay. But _only_ for you."

"Thanks." He kissed her cheek. "I'll come find you when the party's ready." He raced off to join the others that were heading down, leaving Star by herself to contemplate.

"You know, just because I'm doing this for you doesn't mean I'm happy about the party!"

**End of Part 11!**

**Okay so at this point I'm reasonably comfortable in saying there's going to be at least one more chapter to this story, possibly two, depending on how I want to split up the last bits I want to do. I can't believe how quickly this story has come together. I did not expect this. For those that have stuck around since the beginning, I thank you dearly. For those just coming in now, I hope you come to love this story as much as I have.**

**As always, please read & review. **


	12. Forgiveness & Finality

**Star vs The Forces of Evil**

**When Dimensions Cleave**

**Disclaimer: _Star vs The Forces of Evil_ was created by Daron Nefcy and is owned by Disney. I own no part of _Star vs_.**

* * *

**Part 12: Forgiveness & Finality**

**Original Postdate: August 17, 2019**

* * *

The rest of the day passed by mostly uneventfully. The adults got together to plan the "Thank You Star" party, while the kids, minus Star, went separately to do their own thing and wind down. What did Star decide to do? Star went walking through the fields of the new Earth Mewni world. She managed to stumble across Mina's old helmet and a shard of Solaria's sword. She took both to the Butterfly Castle garden and proceeded to dig up two graves - both next to the one where Sebastian the Crow was buried - placing the helmet in one of them and the sword shard in the other.

The graves were filled again, and one giant tombstone was placed at the edge of both of them. The tombstone read:

**_Mina Loveberry & Queen Solaria Butterfly_**

**_Solarian soldiers  
Mewman protectors  
Proof that it's never too late to do the right thing._**

Star solemnly removed her horns and held them at her chest in a moment of silence. A single tear rolled down her face before she put her horns back on and walked out of the garden, heading to her room to ready for bed.

* * *

7:00 AM the following morning came. The party the adults planned for Star was thrown together quickly but efficiently, with everyone - including Marco, Jackie, Janna, Chloe, and Tom - pitching in to make it as special as possible. The party was set up in the Butterfly Castle, and they pulled out all the stops to ensure it properly celebrated Star for her tireless and thankless service to Mewni.

As for young Star? She was snuggled nicely in her bed at the castle. Now on her 9th hour of sleep, she was sprawled all over the bed, sawing logs and drooling on her bed sheets. The door to her room opened very gently. Marco, still in his pajamas, tip-toed in, holding a tiny wrapped present in his hands. He tip-toed to her bed and gently placed the wrapped box on her pillow. Despite knowing that it would take more than just a loud noise or two to wake Star up, he still exercised caution and respect while she was sleeping. Even as he sat down on her bed he was careful not to make too many movements.

He spent the next minute or two staring at the sleeping girl, even so much as reaching out to caress her hair. This, ironically, was enough to get her to squirm and slightly open her eyes, which embarrassed him a bit. "Marco..." The sleepy girl groggily said. Her vision took her to the little gift he left on her pillow. "Aww, Marco..."

"It's nothing much. Just think of it as a precursor for what's to come later."

Star sleepily sighed. "I _really_ don't want to think about that right now."

"You don't have to. The party isn't until later."

She chuckled. "If that's the case, then I'm going back to sleep for a while. Do you wanna join me?"

"Join you?" Marco's face went bright red. "Um..."

"Please join me? It was kinda lonely sleeping by myself last night."

Marco smiled at the girl, stood up, took off his slippers, and carefully climbed into the other side of the bed, wrapping his arms around Star and resting his head on her soft hair. "Thanks, Star."

"Thank _you_." She said back. "Hey Marco...is it weird that I wish we could sleep like this every night? Because I like it when you're here with me."

Marco gave the question a moment of thought before speaking again. "If it _is_ weird, then...then I guess we're both weird." His response put smiles on both of their faces before they quietly drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

A couple of hours passed, with Marco and Star still in basically the same positions that they had earlier. In this spot, two hours felt like ten to them. It didn't matter. Unfortunately, they eventually had to wake up. Marco was the first to do so, opening his eyes and letting the sight of her flowing gold hair put a smile on his face. The sound of her snoring put him at ease, knowing that she was indeed alive and well and that the night terrors of the previous 24 hours were now passed them. The girl had moved slightly and was now on her back instead of on her side.

Marco carefully moved away from his position and crawled over to her sleeping face, leaning in and lightly pecking her lips. Despite his careful nature, the kiss immediately got Star to open her eyes and stare lovingly at Marco. "Hi." She said softly.

"Hi." He said back before they locked in another kiss, this one lasting a while. "I hope there's gonna be a lot of these in the future."

"If I can help it there will be." They kissed yet again. "I can't wait to get away from everything for two weeks."

"Me neither. It's gonna be the best two weeks ever." They hugged and shared one more kiss. "You ready for the hottest party you've ever been to?"

"No." She flatly responded. "But I guess if they're going to insist on this, I might as well try to go with it."

"That's the spirit." He calmly leaped out of the bed, grabbed his slippers, and headed for the door. "See you downstairs. Oh, and they said they wanted us to dress a little extra fancy today." Which was met with a disappointed groan from Star. "Not over the top, just a little more than normal. Don't worry, Star, it's just for the first part."

"...first part?"

Marco blinked and looked away. "I probably shouldn't have said that. Anyway, see you downstairs." He quickly but quietly closed the door behind him, leaving Star alone with her thoughts.

Despite her disappointment with this development, she sighed and got out of bed, grabbing the present Marco left her. She slowly opened the box. Inside was a gold heart-shaped necklace that was opened to reveal the "Beach Day" photo. The sight of it sent Star nearly into tears. What seemed like a small, likely irrelevant gesture to Marco felt like the world to Star. She took the necklace out of the box and put it around her neck, closing the door to protect the picture. "Oh my gosh, Marco." She said to herself. She slowly collected herself and walked over to her closet to open it.

Inside the closet was a pile of wrapped presents on the floor, a bunch of dresses hanging up, plus a small, red box on ones of the shelves. She grabbed the small box on the shelf, studying it and contemplating. Ultimately she decided that she would take the box with her to the party, if for nothing else than as a good luck charm.

* * *

Not too long after that, Star made her way down the halls. She was in her _Monster Bash_ outfit and wearing the gold necklace Marco gave her. It seemed like there was nobody in sight...that is until she finally ran into her mother, who was all dolled up in her Queen Moon outfit. "Star, there you are!" She said joyously.

"What the heck is going on?" Star asked her. Moon grabbed her hand and started to guide her through the halls.

"It'll make sense once we get to the party." She answered. "You look so lovely in that dress, dear."

"...thanks?"

After what seemed like an eternity walking, Moon and Star finally arrived at their destination: the throne room. Eclipsa, Globgor, River, Angie, Rafael, Janna, Jackie, Tom, and Marco - all dressed nicely - were waiting for them, Marco in particular with a huge grin. Star was quite gobsmacked. "W-Why are we in the throne room?" She asked. "Feels like a weird place to have a party, doesn't it?"

"Not today it isn't." Moon led Star over to the group. Once they arrived, Eclipsa pulled out a scroll, cleared her throat. and began to read off of it.

"_By decree of Queen Eclipsa Butterfly, this date shall henceforth be known as **Star Butterfly Day**, in recognition of her tireless service to the kingdom of Mewni. In accordance with the __Gratitude Law, section 3, sub-section T," _While Eclipsa continued to speak, Globgor pulled out a tiny gold crown and started walking over to Star. "_I hereby dub Princess Star Butterfly **Honorary Queen for the Day**."_ Globgor gently put the crown on Star's head and backed away allowing for applause from everyone. Star, unfortunately, went red in the face with embarrassment.

"Guys, w-what is this? What are you doing?" She asked calmly but clearly uncomfortable.

"Oh don't worry, dear, this is mostly just for show." Moon assured her. "I don't think Earth takes too kindly to monarchies..."

"_Don't say that to anyone from England._" Marco said under his breath.

"But you still deserve this recognition, dear, for _everything_ you've done to represent Mewni. You may have started our as unpolished and...unfocused. But you matured into one of the most admirable ambassadors for the kingdom we've ever had. And I couldn't be prouder." Despite Moon giving Star a glowing review, the girl remained embarrassed and couldn't even look her in the eye. "You proved yourself more than worthy of inheriting the throne and more than capable of handling its duties. Your coronation as queen was a day I looked forward to more than any other." A look of disappointment and regret fell on Moon's face. "Although you'll never receive that chance now, for one day we at least pretend you did. Star, will you take your seat up on the throne?"

Still the girl couldn't look her mother in the eye, and her discomfort was visibly growing, evidenced by her unconsciously rubbing her left arm with her (still bandaged) right hand. "Look, Mom, this is very sweet and all, but I don't-" But before she could voice her objections Marco walked over to her and proceeded to pick her up.

"I got her." Was all he said before he picked her up and started carrying her towards the stairs leading to the throne.

Star was not happy. "MARCO DIAZ YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" The crowd behind them exchanged "aww's" watching Marco carry his girlfriend up the stairs. "DO NOT TRIP ON THESE STAIRS, MISTER! I DON'T NEED YOU BREAKING YOUR LEG OR SOMETHING!" Finally, upon reaching the top, he put her back on her feet, having a huge grin on his face. "Marco!" Her anger quelled when she saw the faces of her friends & family below, brimming with pride. Sure, this ceremony was completely artificial and it had absolutely no bearing on the world's new government system, but to all of them, it meant everything. For them, giving Star the chance to at least pretend she was queen was validation of everything that happened. But even with this justification, Star still could not bring herself to embrace it.

She hesitantly took her seat on the queen's throne, drawing even wider smiles from everyone, including Marco, who was bursting with pride. Still, she sat there, unconsciously rubbing her arm, clearly agitated & uncomfortable. Her discomfort slowly became obvious to everyone else, whose faces fell from pride to concern. Even Marco became worried for his love. Tears slowly formed in Star's eyes. She couldn't look any of them in theirs. The stress became palpable. At last she stood up in a frustrated huff. "Okay that's it I'm done!" She said in a distressed tone as she didn't hesitate to start running back down the stairs. Marco was not too far behind her.

"What's the matter?" River asked her. "Is the seat uncomfortable?"

"No, Dad, it's nothing like that. It's..." Again, she couldn't look anybody in the eye. Marco arrived at the scene and consoled her. "I...just can't accept this."

Her answer drew murmurs from everyone. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

She shed a tear. "Look, this is an amazing gesture by you guys and I'm touched you all thought of me, but...none of this feels right."

"We're sorry, deary. We thought you'd appreciate getting a taste of what you were in line to receive before...well, _everything_ happened." Eclipsa explained. "I know it's artificial and all, but-"

"No no no no, it has nothing to do with that. It's just..." She sighed, finally gaining the courage to look them all head on. "I'm not worthy of the throne. I never was."

Safe to say her response left everyone in the room completely baffled. For Moon in particular, it left her heartbroken. "That's not true!" She objected.

"It _is_ true, Mom. Look at everything that happened. Look at all the trouble I caused for you and the kingdom. I never even finished my training with Glossaryck! I got him captured by Toffee, I nearly let the kingdom be destroyed, I-I selfishly abandoned Eclipsa to fend for herself from Mina-"

"Star..."

"I destroyed the magic and robbed Eclipsa of her chance to be queen-"

"_Star-"_

"And that's not even including the countless things I did to screw up the people in my personal life!"

"Star!"

"**_WHAT?!_**" She bellowed before covering her mouth, now the tears just falling uncontrollably. Moon knelled down and consoled Star.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Being your own worst enemy." Marco finished. The girl looked at her love and smiled.

"Yeah, it's...it's pretty easy to do that, isn't it...?"

"And really hard to _stop_ doing it."

Star looked at her mother, who patted her head and brought her in for a hug. "Star...you were a terrific ambassador for our kingdom, and for monster kind. You shouldered a lot of responsibility that even most 14-year old princesses should not have to carry. And you did it admirably. After everything you've done for Mewni you more than earned your stripes." Despite the glowing praise, still Star struggled to look her in the eye. "You would have made a fantastic queen, and I will hear _no_ arguments from you to the contrary."

That got her attention though. She slowly started to remove the crown that was placed on her head, and she put it gently on the ground. "Then...I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree." Star's continued self-loathing drew a frown from Moon, and all she could do to console her was hug her again. Everyone soon joined in to hug Star, and nobody dared part for a full minute. But finally people did, giving the girl a chance to breath. She wiped a tear from her eye. "But you know, it's okay. I'm actually...I'm actually okay. Getting put through the ringer helping Eclipsa become a proper queen...I think it totally burned me out on the idea. It doesn't really bother me that I won't get to be queen." She smiled, which was quickly dissipated upon seeing Moon, River, and Eclipsa frowning. "So...why does it bother you guys?"

Eclipsa spoke first. "Sweetheart, what happened tome and Globby...that was long before your time. While I'm grateful that you wanted to right the wrongs of the Magic High Commission...you shouldn't have been in a position to have to make that choice. You shouldn't have had to carry the burden of helping me all by yourself."

"You had to brush everything in your life to the side and put Eclipsa & the kingdom first." River added, which got Star to look over at Tom. He smiled and waved; she frowned and looked at the ground.

"And all you have to show for it is the satisfaction of clearing the way for Eclipsa & Globgor to take the throne." Moon continued. "You deserved so much better."

Star slowly looked back up, again rubbing her arm unconsciously in distress. "Guys, I'm touched, really...but please,, you don't have to get so upset about it for me. Really. I'm _fine_. I'm finally getting to be a normal teenager that hangs out with her friends, makes lots of memories I'll cherish forever, and for the first time _I_ get to decide my own destiny. That means a lot more to me than some silly status symbol. And you know what? So can _you_!" She pointed to every one of the adults. "Don't you understand? Now that none of us are burdened with the monarchy, we can all live the lives we _want_ to live! We can _choose_ the paths our lives take. Mom!" She turned to Moon. "Isn't there something you've always wanted to do if you weren't queen?"

"Oh, uh..." She gave it a brief thought. "I suppose I've always wanted to try painting."

"Excellent! Dad," She turned to River. "What about you?"

"That's a hard one, sweetie. I already do most everything under the sun. I suppose I've never tried sumo wrestling..."

"Go for it! Globgor?"

"I've...always wanted to build homes. You know, for the little guys?"

"Awe-_some_! Eclipsa?"

"I suppose I've always wanted to one of those people that writes books and shares magical tales with the masses. What do they call them? _Authors?_"

"Alright, we got a writer among us!" Star cheered, her mood infinitely improved. "You see? Now that magic is gone in this new world, we're not bound to be stuck by the monarchy. We can do _anything_ we want to do We can live however we want to live! Instead of lamenting the loss of our status, let's embrace the opportunity we've been given to make every second of our lives count!"

"Star's right!" Globgor concurred. "It's a fresh start for all of us. Let's make the best of it!"

These declarations were met with universal cheers from everyone in the room. A new age of life on Earth-Mewni was set to begin.

"So...guess I kinda ruined this party..." Star suddenly said disappointingly. "I'm sorry."

"It's not all bad." Tom chimed in. "There's still a huge buffet in the dining room."

"Ooh, food!" She cheered. "Hey, uh, do you guys think it would be okay if we dressed down a little? You know, go back to our normal, everyday clothes?"

"What? You don't want to stay gussied up like this?" Marco asked playfully, which drew a surprisingly loud scoff from Star.

"Not really, no. Look, having to look like this when it's absolutely called for is one thing, but I hate wearing dresses like this and I _haaaate_ having to wear my hair up like this. It makes me feel frumpy and uptight. I hate that! I want to feel relaxed and curvy, not frumpy and uptight!"

"_What an interesting choice of words..."_ Tom whispered to Marco.

"_You heard that too?"_ He whispered back.

"Oh! That reminds me! Gifts! I have gifts for everyone!" Star shouted with a massive grin.

Marco sighed. "Star, we've been over this. The party's for _you_, _you_ don't get _us_ gifts, we get _you_ gifts."

"Oh calm yourself, Marco, I know that."

"Are you telling me you didn't spoil yourself with the $650 I gave you yesterday?"

She sighed loudly. "I couldn't do it. It-It just didn't feel right to think only of myself."

"Star..."

"Relax, don't get so fussy. I did get _something_ for myself."

* * *

Later on, everyone else had gone back into the regular, non-royal outfits, there was food laid out on the big dining table for people to pick at and enjoy. Star was busy showing off the thing she bought for herself to Marco & Jackie. It was a pink leather jacket, in a similar vein as the one Jackie had.

"I really loved your jacket, Jackie, so I got one for myself." Star said, showing it off.

"Wow, that looks great on you." Jackie commented.

"She's right, that looks amazing!" Marco added. Star blushed.

"Aww, you guys. Oh, check it out: I had it engraved in the back-"

Marco shuttered his eyes away, anticipating something embarrassing. "Oh jeez." Star turned around to show off what the back read. It read "Star Butterfly" with little devil horns sticking out of the S in 'Star'. "Oh wow! That looks awesome!"

She turned around to face them. "You were worried I was going to put something embarrassing on it, weren't you?"

His face went red. "No..."

"Yes." Jackie interrupted him, playfully laughing.

"NO!...okay, yes." He looked at his feet.

Star chuckled. "Marco, have a _little_ faith in me. I wouldn't put something like _that_ on something like a leather jacket."

Marco smiled, looking up at her. "Yeah, I guess."

"Besides it makes better t-shirt fodder anyway." Star said quickly, unzipping her jacket and revealing herself to be wearing a white t-shirt with the phrase "Star Bubble-Butt Butterfly" in big green letters. The ensuing laughter from Jackie made Marco's face go bright red this time.

"You're really taking this name and running with it, aren't you?"

"You gotta admit, Diaz, it _does_ fit her like a glove." Jackie said slyly, crossing her arms.

"Why thank you." Star said, beaming. "It's a little bit loose but I figured I just gotta break it in."

"I wasn't talking about the jacket." Star appeared confused for a moment, looking at the jacket, and then at the shirt, and then it hit her. She let out a flattered gasp and blushed madly, while Marco did a double take towards Jackie.

"Jackie! You too?"

"Game's gotta recognize game, am I right?" They fist bumped.

"Well don't sell yourself short, girl!" Marco had his jaw on the ground. "Isn't that right, Marco?"

And now his face had gone pale. "Why are you bringing _me_ into this?"

"Because you're the only one who's dated both of us. You _would_ be an expert on the subject."

Before he could say anything that would get him into trouble, he closed his hoodie all the way around his now bright red face, sparking laughter from Jackie & Star. They were interrupted by the sound of the door knocking. "Oh, that's Chloe. I'll be right back." She ran off to answer the door, leaving an elated Star & dumbfounded Marco standing there.

"What have I done?" Marco said to himself, unraveling his hoodie.

"Oh Marco, don't worry about it so much. Everyone else can look as much as they want. But only _you_ get to touch." She wrapped an arm around the boy, kissing his cheek, getting him to smile.

"Yay me?"

"Definitely yay you." She kissed him again before parting. "Okay, I gotta go get the gifts! I'll be right back!" She raced to leave the dining hall, and as a result of it, stumbled on the way out. Her stumble resulted in the small red box she had been carrying in her dress pocket to fall out onto the ground.

"Star, wait!" Marco yelled after her. But by then she was already long gone. It was here that Marco noticed the small red box on the ground near the stairs.

As for Star, she wasted very little time in gathering her wrapped gifts together, putting them nearly into a large garbage bag, and lifting it over her shoulders to carry. "That's all of 'em!" She said to herself. "Oh wait." She quickly felt around her pockets holding to feel the red box. Upon realizing it wasn't there, she whipped into a frenzy. "Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no. Where is it? Where is it? I _just_ had it!" She raced out of her room with her bag of presents and made it downstairs back to the dining hall, only to discover that Marco had indeed found the box and was showing it to his parents.

It turns out that inside the box was a pair of promise rings...rings that belonged to both Rafael and Angie Diaz. "Hey I found this box lying by the staircase." Marco told them. Star dropped the bag of presents on the floor and raced over to them.

"MARCO!"

"Oh hey Star. This fell out of your pocket when you left." He explained. "It's my parents' promise rings. Why did you have them on you?" He turned to his parents. "Was she helping you? Is that what happened? You guys lost them and didn't want me to find out?"

Angie and Rafael exchanged looks with each other and remained silent. Quickly the entire room started to quiet down as well. Once Star caught her breath, she took her turn to speak.

"...They didn't lose them."

It took only a brief second for the implications to sink in for Marco. He turned to Star, the surprise obvious on his face. Now the entire room was silent, and it was time for Star to explain herself...

* * *

_[Flashback]_

_**Is anybody out there?**_  
_**Is anybody listening?**_

_Star was up in Angie & Rafael's room, putting Mariposa to sleep. It was after the infant child was peacefully asleep that Star slowly stepped back and went towards Angie. "You're so good with babies." Angie whispered._

_"I think it's more like babies are good with me." She whispered back as she took a seat on the bed. In walked Rafael holding the small red box, cleaning it with a wipe. _

_"All done." Rafael announced quietly. "Our rings are all clean."_

_"Rings? But I thought you were already wearing your..." Star took noticed of Angie and Rafael's hands, which both possessed wedding rings on their ring fingers. Rafael chuckled, opening the box._

_"No no, dear, I'm talking about our promise rings." He took them out briefly and showed them off to Star. They were simple rings: silver and covered in some glitter._

_"...what's the difference?"_

_Rafael walked over to Star and knelled down next to the bed where she sat, holding the rings. "A wedding ring signifies that you are married to your significant other, but a promise ring is more broad. It merely signifies a commitment to your partner, and that could mean anything. "_

_"So it could be about just a regular relationship or love? Or, I don't know, starting a business together?"_

_"Sure, why not?" He put the rings back in the box for safety. "I've had these rings for over 20 years, ever since the first time Angie & I got together. We even used them as our wedding rings."_

_"They were a lot easier to afford than actual wedding rings." Angie chimed in._

_"But we've had our actual wedding rings for a long time now. It just feels redundant to have these here with us. I'm not exactly sure what to do with them, though. Maybe I should donate them..."_

_**Does anybody really know  
**__**If it's the end of the beginning?**_

_"Wait!" Star yelled before covering her mouth. She caught a break; Mariposa didn't wake up. "If you don't want to keep them anymore, would it...would it be okay if **I** held onto them?"_

_Rafael and Angie exchanged glances. "But why?"_

_"Don't worry I'm not going to say anything to him, I just...I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and..."_

_"Star-" Angie brought Star in for a hug. "You have your entire life ahead of you. You don't need to get wrapped up in things like this right now."_

_"Yeah I know I have my whole life ahead, but...that doesn't mean anything to me if Marco isn't there to share it with me." __The two parents "aww'd" quietly. "I know marriage is a massive step above just being in a relationship, a-and I **know** I'm not ready for that at all. But...imagining life without Marco is just really sad. It's joyless. It's not fun. I don't want to think about it, a-and maybe this promise ring thing is what I need to make sure he stays...if he wants to, I mean."_

_This time both Angie and Rafael hugged the girl. "I know my boy, and I've never seen his eyes light up the way they do when he talks about you." Rafael said. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Star smiled. _

_"I hope you're right." She wiped a tear forming in her eye. "I love him so much."_

_**The quiet rush of one breath**_  
_**Is all we're waiting for**_

_"And he loves you." Angie said as Rafael handed her the box. "Now you're still too young to be thinking about that, but if holding onto the rings makes you more comfortable, go ahead."_

_Star slowly took the rings from Rafael. "Are you sure?"_

_They both nodded. "And when the time comes that you **are** ready, you have our blessing."_

_And now Star was in full cry mode. "That's all I wanted to hear." The three of them shared another hug._

_[End Flashback]_

* * *

_**Sometimes the one we're taking**_  
_**Changes every one before**_

Marco slowly approached the girl while still holding the rings in the box; she was struggling to hold back tears at the moment. She wasn't prepared for the moment to go down like this. She only had the rings on her person as a sort of comfort. "Star..." He said calmly as he reached out to hug her. She returned it without argument and held onto him tightly, refusing to part. Everyone around them could only watch in curiosity.

When she finally did part, she could barely look at him. "You weren't supposed to find out like this. I didn't even plan to show them to you today. I-I just wanted them close to me because it felt good to have them."

Marco gently placed a hand on her face and brought her close to him again. "But...why? We're not anywhere near that point yet. We're-"

"I know, I know." She said, her voice muffled. He pulled her away slightly so he could understand her. "It's just..." She sniffed back more tears. "You were ready to throw yourself to the wolves to save _me._ To save _my _life. Without any hesitation. You had so much you were going to lose by doing that." Now she was full on crying. "I don't care what dangers we may face in the future or what walls get put up in our way, you are **_NEVER_** allowed to do that again for me! Do you understand me, Marco Diaz?"

Her face screamed visible anger, heartbreak, and sorrow. Marco had no planned response. "No, Star, I don't understand." His firm response surprised her. "I'm not going to stop wanting to protect you just because I might be put in a little harm's way. You can take care of yourself, I know that. But why should that stop me from caring?"

"Because what if one day you don't come back to me?" She said through blubbering. He was left speechless. "It's not about ego or independence or anything like that. I want to be able to give you a ring in five years, ten years, one year, however long it takes to be ready...I want to get down on a knee and ask you to take my hand and let me be your wife. I don't want to be a Queen Butterfly. I want to be a Diaz, Marco. More than I've ever wanted anything." She lunged in and hugged him again, and this time he didn't dare fight her. "I don't deserve someone as amazing, selfless, and brave as you. But I-I'm grateful every day that I have you. And I don't ever want to lose you."

"Star you're not going to lose me." He tried reassuring her. "I'm not going anywhere."

_**It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't**_  
_**It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed**_  
_**Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know**_  
_**We're holding on and letting go**_

"How do you know?" She slightly pulled back. "I'm here holding a promise ring and I don't even have anything I can promise you. I can't promise you a kingdom, I can't promise you a crown..."

"I don't want any of that stuff anyway."

"That's not the point!" Star shouted. "I don't have anything that I can give you. That's not how a good girlfriend should be. It's not how a good wife should be-"

"Star." He shut her up by kissing her again. "You don't have to promise me the moon or the stars or the galaxy. And it'd be silly of me to ask for that. All I'd want is for you to promise that no matter what, you'll never stop growing. You'll never stop trying to be better than you were. That's all we can really do. And...shouldn't that be enough?"

_**Sometimes we're holding angels**_  
_**And we never even know**_

She smiled and started to blush, hugging him once again. "Oh Marco...that's some of the cheesiest stuff you've ever said. But...I guess you're right." She took a moment to be silent and let herself calm down. "Look at me. I'm making a fool of myself again."

"No you're not. You shouldn't feel like you have to hide these emotions from me. I'm always here for you if you need a shoulder." He kissed her cheek and lightly caressed her hair. "Look...relationships aren't easy. Sometimes they go through valleys and sometimes they go through peaks. And marriage...that's a whole nother thing. There's a lot that go into marriages and it's not something I want to take lightly. I know in my heart of hearts that I want to marry you someday..."

She pulled away and beamed, abandoning the desire to control her tears. "That's all I wanted to hear."

He followed suit. "And I know someday I will. But I don't need a ceremony or a paper to tell me what my heart already knows."

They hugged yet again and shared another kiss, albeit a bit more passionately this time. Everyone around them, meanwhile, was caught up in the emotions to say anything, particularly Tom, who didn't hesitate to let his sensitive side come out.

"This is so beautiful, man!" He said wiping a tear from his eye with a tissue.

_**Don't know if we'll make it**_  
_**But we know we just can't let it show**_

"I love you Marco."

"I love you too Star. And no matter what happens, I've always got your back. And I know you have mine."

_**It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't**_  
_**It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed  
****Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know**_  
_**We're holding on and letting go**_

She hugged him again, and then leaned in to whisper in his ear. "_Can I have your backside too?_" She blushed hard whispering that. Marco chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"If you want it that badly, it's all yours."

"Yay."

"Though you _really_ didn't have to ask for permission."

"You asked for mine. It's only fair." And another kiss. "Oh, gifts!" She left his embrace and grabbed the bag of gifts she got everybody.

_**Yeah, we're letting go**_

The first gift went to Tom. It was a brand spanking new drum set to replace the battered & beaten one they had used to play their song two days earlier. The next gift was for Janna. It was a new Ouija board. Jackie's gift was a brand new skateboard. Moon's was a new easel with a beginner's painting set. River's was an inflatable sumo suit. Eclipsa received a typewriter and several stacks of paper. Globgor was given his very own tool box and tool belt. Angie and Rafael were gifted with a gold-plated picture frame with a photo of their wedding. Chloe received brand new speakers that could be connected to her electric keyboard.

Marco was the last person to receive his gift. She slowly handed the box to him. "Last but not least...my favorite person in this world...Marco."

He carefully took the package. "I'm sure whatever you got me, it's amazing." He started to carefully rip off the wrapping paper. It was a modest, unimpressive looking box. But when he opened it, he felt a rush of humility and pride across his face. He pulled out the gift...it was two stuffed teddy bears: one that looked like Star, and one that looked like Marco.

_**It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't**_  
_**It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed**_  
_**Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know**_  
_**We're holding on and letting go**_

"I know it's not pizzazz-y or impressive. But I thought that, if there's ever a time when we have to be separated for whatever reason, you'd always have something to hug when you need one." Marco was overjoyed. Star slowly reached out and grabbed the Marco bear. "And I'll always have this Marco bear to hug when I need a hug and you're not with me."

Marco raced over to her and embraced her tightly. "I love it!" He said proudly. "I love _you_!" They shared yet another kiss.

"I love you too!" Once they parted from their kiss, they decided to quietly sneak away from the rest of the party and chose to talk in the hallway. "You know...now that this is all over and the magic is gone..."

"We can finally start planning our getaway." Marco finished for her, which got her to beam. "I'm really looking forward to it."

"Two whole weeks with my hopefully-one-day-to-be husband doing nothing but chilling and having a blast with him. It sounds wonderful."

"It does. You need this badly."

"_We_ need this."

"So you wanna head up and start planning, or, you know, just have fun?" He winked at her, getting a blush from both of them.

"You get a head start, I'll catch up." He nodded, kissed her one more time, and started making his way up the stairs to Star's room. Star was left in the hallway to momentarily contemplate her thoughts. Her attention took her to the necklace she was wearing containing their Beach Day photo. A smile crept onto her face. At last, after everything they had gone through, she felt like times of peace were up ahead. And she couldn't wait to start them with Marco.

_**It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't**_  
_**It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed**_  
_**Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know**_  
_**We're holding on and letting go**_

With one final glance at the necklace, she took a deep breath, wiped tears from her eyes, and raced upstairs to join Marco in her room. Let the planning commence.

**The End.**

**And that's "When Dimensions Cleave." I don't really know what to say now, except Thank you to everyone who's read this story and supported it! I can't believe it's done. 12 chapters in less than 3 weeks. This was by every definition a passion project and I'm so glad I've finally been able to finish another story after so long. I hope you all have enjoyed it! If you're just finding this now, I hope you go back and start it from the beginning. I promise you won't be disappointed.**

**To quell any potential questions: yes I have every intention of writing the "Star/Marco Getaway" fic. It's just a matter of getting the time to do it. Despite what the rapid upload schedule for this story may have suggested, my home life has actually been very hectic these past three weeks. That I got this one done as fast as I did was purely out of passion for the idea. But I have intentions to do the Getaway story. Star/Marco are the cutest animation couple, fight me on that.**

**As always, please read & review! Spread the word! Reviews greatly appreciated! And one last time...thank you.**


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